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HKFP
16 hours ago
- Politics
- HKFP
4 Hong Kong activists fined up to HK$6,600 for fundraising and displaying posters without permit
Four Hong Kong pro-democracy activists have been fined up to HK$6,600 after being found guilty of raising funds and displaying posters in public without a permit in 2023. League of Social Democrats (LSD)'s chairperson Chan Po-ying, the group's vice-chairs Dickson Chau and Yu Wai-pan, and activist Lee Ying-chi were convicted on Thursday at the Eastern Magistrates' Courts. They were found guilty of 12 counts of collecting money in a public place without a permit and displaying bills or posters on government land without permission. Before the judge delivered the verdict, the four activists unfurled a banner outside the courthouse accusing authorities of 'suppressing freedom of expression.' The offences were linked to street booths the LSD set up on April 2, April 30, and May 28, 2023, in Causeway Bay and Wan Chai. According to the prosecution, they displayed a blank black cloth and handed out leaflets with QR codes for the party's donation link and its PayMe profile. During the trial earlier this year, the defendants challenged whether the black cloth should be considered a poster and therefore regulated under the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance. Magistrate Minnie Wat ruled on Thursday that the black cloth, approximately two metres long, had been displayed in an 'eye-catching spot' at the street booth. Referring to footage recorded by the police, Wat said the defendants had told the public that they hung a blank black cloth because they could be fined if any words were written on the banner. Wat sided with the prosecution, saying that the definition of a poster was 'broad' and that the purpose of the legislation was to impose 'appropriate rules to prevent chaos.' As the black cloth was used to 'spread ideas in public' and was displayed for around two hours each time at the street booths, it met the definition of a poster, she said. 'Although the black cloth had no words, it was displayed to express the defendants' political views and opinions about the government,' the magistrate said in Cantonese. Wat also rejected the defendants' argument that there was no evidence they were raising funds at the street booths. She said the court should not focus solely on whether the word 'fundraising' appeared on the leaflets. Even if the QR code was small, that did not mean the defendants were not soliciting donations. 'They could have removed the QR code and their bank account number if they had no intention of raising funds,' Wat said. During the trial, the defendants questioned why the police only filmed their street booths without taking any action. Wat responded that the legislation does not require police to issue a warning before enforcement. She added that the absence of a warning did not mean the acts were not in breach of the law. Chau, who represented himself, said during the trial that the QR code in fact did not work. At the time, the party's HSBC bank account had already been frozen, he said. Wat eventually convicted the four activists on all 12 charges and fined them between HK$1,000 and HK$1,200 per summons. Chan, who had six summonses, received a total fine of HK$6,600, while Chau, with two summonses, was fined HK$2,000. Lee had three summonses and was fined HK$3,000, and Yu was ordered to pay HK$1,000 for one summons. During mitigation, Chau said the LSD was the last activist group still organising street booths to voice their opinions. In response to the magistrate's remark that the legislation aimed to prevent people from 'fighting for space' to hold street demonstrations, Chau said the magistrate's 'aspiration' was 'far from reality.' 'We only want more people in society to express their views to the government. Unfortunately, the government's response is prosecution,' he said in Cantonese, adding that he had been an activist for over a decade and had not previously been prosecuted for carrying out similar acts. Yu, on the other hand, called the case 'political prosecution' and accused the authorities of 'weaponising' laws to suppress civic rights. 'Even if it is not the national security law but just summons, it is eroding our freedoms step by step, until we can no longer even organise a street booth,' he said in Cantonese. Speaking to reporters after the verdict, Chan said she believed they were innocent but was 'not surprised' by the court's ruling. She said the legislation concerning poster displays used to target banners or posters affixed to street barricades by politicians or political groups, rather than those displayed during a demonstration. She added the legislation contained many 'loopholes' and that their street booth should be regarded as a political activity held sporadically, and therefore should not be subject to regulation.
HKFP
4 days ago
- Business
- HKFP
Eateries, entertainment premises could lose licence over conduct ‘contrary' to national security
Hong Kong authorities have warned restaurants, entertainment premises, and other businesses that they could lose their licences if they engage in acts deemed 'contrary' to national security. The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) sent letters to businesses at the end of May about new national security-related clauses under the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance, according to local media reports. The letter states that if business licence holders and 'related persons' engage in 'offending conduct' against national security or public interest, authorities could revoke their licence. 'Related persons' include directors, management, employees, agents, and subcontractors, the letter read. In response to media enquiries, the FEHD said the conditions were aimed at deterring behaviour contrary to national security, and that licence holders who abide by the law would not be affected. According to an updated version of the FEHD's food business licence application form dated May 2025, applicants have to sign beneath a paragraph that reads: 'I shall ensure that no act or activity engaged or involved in by me or any of my related persons… may constitute or cause the occurrence of an offence endangering national security under the National Security Law or other laws of the HKSAR, or conduct is otherwise contrary to the interests of national security or the interest of the public (including public morals, public order and/or public safety) of Hong Kong.' A July 2024 version of the form contained no such paragraph. Local media outlets reported that, besides restaurants, businesses holding other types of licences – including cinemas, gaming centres, funeral parlours, and saunas also saw the same national security conditions. HKFP has reached out to the FEHD for comment. Government adviser Ronny Tong told HK01 in an interview published on Sunday that it was 'hard to say' if the new conditions were targeted at 'yellow shops,' a term that refers to businesses that have expressed a pro-democracy stance. When asked if the phrase 'Hong Kong add oil' could be risky, Tong said he could not give a blanket answer. 'If it is just a saying, or a description, or an icon… I think you need to consider the wider environment and what the intention is,' he said.
