Hong Kong protests: man jailed for 8 months over unlawful 2019 demonstration outside police operations base
- The police base was targeted after a mysterious odour descended on Tuen Mun, despite authorities’ attempts to dispel rumours that the smell was tear gas emanating from the facility
- Defendant Tang Ho-yan, 25, was among a group of protesters who dismantled fences along a nearby street and used them as roadblocks
The District Court heard some 200 people had gathered at the Tai Hing Operational Base on Tsun Wan Road at about 8.20pm on October 30 to voice their displeasure at the odour, despite police attempts to dispel rumours that the unidentified smell was tear gas emanating from the facility.
The crowd chanted insulting slogans, flashed laser beams at officers stationed there and drew a group of counterprotesters who rallied in support of police at about 9pm.
As a shouting match ensued, police issued a warning and their supporters gradually dispersed.
At that point, radical protesters nearby dismantled metal fences on pavements along Leung Wan Street and moved them into the carriageway, where they also used barricades and traffic cones as roadblocks.
Among them was a masked Tang Ho-yan, 25, who initially used an umbrella to shield those who were removing the fences before joining in and helping with the roadblock.
Police cleared the area at 9.40pm and arrested 52 people, including Tang, who was subsequently found to be carrying five face masks, a pair of gloves and a bag of plastic cable ties in his backpack.