Advertisement

Student protester carried airgun for ‘self defence’, court hears

Sixteen-year-old was caught by police carrying an eight-inch air pistol and 1,000 pellets by police at the scene of demonstrations against the Legco rule book change last year

Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
The student has pleaded not guilty to a charge of possessing an imitation firearm. Photo: Nora Tam

A secondary school student on trial for possessing an imitation firearm told a court on Tuesday that he carried the air pistol out of fear that he might be attacked for supporting Hong Kong independence.

Advertisement

Lau Hong, who first made headlines for brandishing a pro-independence banner during a photo opportunity with Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor last November, told the Eastern Court that he had seen his supporters attacked by anti-independence activists right outside his school.

Adding to his fears were news reports of fighting near his school and random brawls started by strangers on the streets, the 16-year-old said.

“I worry that I might be assaulted because I support independence,” he continued. “So I brought the pistol in self defence.”

On December 12 last year, Lau was intercepted by police while carrying an eight-inch air pistol – with a fully loaded magazine, a bottle of 1,000 yellow plastic pellets and an aiming light – near a pan-democrat protest against changing the Legislative Council’s rule book, which he attended.

Advertisement
Protesters gather at protest site in Admiralty in 2014. Photo: May Tse
Protesters gather at protest site in Admiralty in 2014. Photo: May Tse
Advertisement