Bar Association slams Occupy Central for flouting injunctions to clear streets
Protesters criticised by Bar for flouting court orders, as doctors sign petition to end sit-ins
The Bar Association says Occupy protesters' defiance of injunctions to clear the streets is eroding the rule of law and sets a bad precedent.
In a statement, the association said it viewed "with dismay" recent calls for open defiance of the injunctions to clear protest sites in Mong Kok and Admiralty.
It said deliberate defiance of a court order committed en masse would result in a direct affront to the rule of law.
"Some prominent politicians - several of whom are legally qualified - have contemptuously dismissed criticisms of prolonged occupation in breach of court orders," it said. "The HKBA must strongly disagree with them."
The law underlying the injunctions was not "evil" and by violating it protesters had "overstepped the mark", it added.
Benny Tai Yiu-ting, an Occupy co-organiser and a legal academic, said he respected the Bar's view. Debate was needed on how to strike a balance between the rule of law and civil disobedience once the Occupy movement was over, he said.
READ MORE: To view all the latest Occupy Central stories click here
