Hong Kong activist ‘Grandpa Chan’ to plead not guilty over showing banners atop Lion Rock without permit
Hong Kong Free Press
An elderly Hong Kong pro-democracy activist will plead not guilty to displaying an unauthorised banner atop one of the city’s peaks last year, local media has reported.
Chan Ki-kau, 76, appeared at Kowloon City Magistrates’ Courts on Friday for a pre-trial hearing. He stands accused of violating the Country Parks and Special Areas Regulations over displaying a pair of Chinese-language banners at the summit of Lion Rock on September 28, 2023.
Better known as “Grandpa Chan,” the activist held two scrolls with a Chinese couplet penned by writer Lu Xun on that day. The banners read: “Fierce-browed, I coolly defy a thousand pointing fingers. Head bowed like a willing ox, I serve the children.”
Park regulations state that visitors cannot display signs, notices, posters, banners or advertisements in a country park without permission from authorities. Offenders face a maximum penalty of a HK$2,000 fine and three months in jail.
The prosecution on Friday told the court that both parties had agreed on most of the facts in the case and that they would summon two witnesses during the trial, according to a report by The Witness.
Prosecutors added that the defence would contend on issues revolving around Chan’s freedom of speech. They asked to court to allow the witnesses to testify in Cantonese while both parties would use English to deal with the legal argument.
The defence said they would not dispute that Chan had displayed the items in Lion Rock Country Park.
Acting Principal Magistrate Ko Wai-hung scheduled the case for trial on September 30 and granted the prosecution’s request for bilingual proceedings.
Chan is a member of Protect Our Kids, a pro-democracy group founded during the protests and unrest in 2019.
Chan was known for his presence on the front line of demonstrations, urging calm as protesters faced off against police officers. He also took part in a hunger strike during the early days of the movement.
Last January, Chan was ordered to pay around HK$510,000 to the Department of Justice after his application to launch a legal bid against the police over their display of identification during the 2019 protests was dismissed by a court.
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