A Hong Kong man, Yung Cheong-ming, has been found guilty of inciting violence through online comments made after a knife attack on a police officer in 2021. Deputy District Judge Amy Chan convicted Yung at the West Kowloon Law Courts Building on Friday.
Yung’s comments, which he posted on the online forum LIHKG, were related to an incident on July 1, 2021, when a man stabbed a police officer on the anniversary of Hong Kong’s Handover to China. The officer survived the attack, sustaining injuries to his left shoulder.
During the trial, Yung’s testimony was found to be inconsistent, as he had admitted under police caution that he was pleased the police officer had been stabbed, but testified in court that he was simply “eating peanuts,” a Cantonese slang for watching something play out from the sidelines.
The judge ruled that there could be no other interpretation of Yung’s comments beyond what he had said in the police interview, rejecting the defense’s argument that Yung did not intend to incite violence. The prosecution argued that Yung’s comments, given the context of social unrest and the violent incident, were capable of inciting others to unlawfully harm a police officer.
Yung’s case was tried in the District Court, where the maximum sentence handed out is capped at seven years. The judge adjourned Yung’s mitigation hearing to November 1 for the prosecution to make submissions regarding similar incitement cases.
In a related case, the defense cited a 2022 District Court decision to acquit a chauffeur of inciting others to attack police officers, but the judge ruled that this decision had limited referential value as the message was sent to a private WhatsApp group, not a public forum like LIHKG.
If you are in need of support, please call The Samaritans at 2896 0000 or the Suicide Prevention Centre at 2382 0000. The Hong Kong Society of Counselling and Psychology provides a WhatsApp hotline in English and Chinese at 6218 1084. It is essential to seek help when dealing with mental health issues.
James Lee, a reporter at Hong Kong Free Press, covers culture and social issues. He has been actively reporting on local politics, the city’s housing crisis, and landmark court cases, providing valuable insights into the happenings in Hong Kong.
