Don’t use maternal love for political capital, father of jailed protester tells Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam

Chief executive had addressed mothers of student activists convicted of storming government headquarters in 2014 in response to reporter’s question

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Alex Chow’s father (right) called a radio show to respond to remarks by Chief Executive Carrie Lam (left). Photo: Handout

Published: 11:19am, 22 Aug 2017Updated: 11:19am, 22 Aug 2017

The father of one of three prominent student leaders jailed for their role in a protest that triggered the Occupy sit-ins of 2014 has advised Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor not to attempt to garner any political capital by posing as a sympathetic fellow parent to mothers of the young activists.

The chief executive was speaking at a Monday evening press briefing about the Court of Appeal’s decision to mete out jail terms to student leaders Joshua Wong Chi-fung, Nathan Law Kwun-chung and Alex Chow Yong-kang last week, when a reporter asked her, as a mother, what she would say to the protesters’ parents.

Lam responded that it was the Department of Justice’s responsibility to prosecute according to its guidelines and laws. The trio was convicted in an open trial, and they had the right to appeal. The activists had given up that right, meaning they accepted the fact that they had committed a crime, Lam said.

She added: “As a mother myself, I am speaking here to their mothers. Of course, I can understand your emotions, but I also remember what I said on October 21, 2014, when I, as the chief secretary, had an open dialogue over political reforms with five students from the Federation of Students, including Alex Chow and Nathan Law.

“I told them: however noble your ideals may be, you need to fight for it by legal and reasonable means, and I urged them to express their views in a lawful, peaceful and rational way that does not affect other residents.”