Exclusive | ‘It wasn’t violence for violence’s sake’: the only unmasked protester at storming of Hong Kong’s legislature gives his account of the day’s drama
- Brian Leung speaks exclusively to the Post via Telegram to explain why he removed his mask and has no regrets
- Leung volunteered to read out key demands of protesters in chamber, feeling that after the events, clear demands had to be put on the table
Brian Leung Kai-ping, 25, was among those who entered the legislature – and the only one who has openly revealed his identity that night.
The storming made international headlines and marked a “quantum leap” for the entire movement against the extradition bill and the city’s push for democracy, he said.
Where were you on Monday and what was your role?
I skipped another major rally to stay around the Legislative Council complex for nearly eight hours, keeping a close eye on every move. Like most protesters, we had been waiting for this opportunity to make a statement inside Legco. There was of course no clear consensus at the time how long we should occupy it, which underlined the very nature of the extradition bill movement – decentralised, leaderless and spontaneous. We were improvising.