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Mong Kok riot

Mong Kok, one of Hong Kong's busiest districts, went into virtual lockdown in February 2016 hours after the Lunar New Year began. Unrest escalated as crowds gathered in the district to protest a crackdown on illegal street food hawkers. A night of violence saw police fire two warning shots as protesters launched bricks and set fires.

last updated:

9 September, 2024

The Spark Alliance HK Facebook page, which can still be found online. Photo: Handout

Hong Kong courts

Hong Kong student jailed for money laundering in connection with 2019 protests

Yu Yan-yuk, who was 17 at the time, sent to prison for 16 months after conviction on money laundering charges related to 2019 anti-government protests.

17 Apr 2024 - 8:16PM

Hong Kong protests

Hong Kong court issues order for police to seize HK$70 million in protest funds

26 Sep 2022 - 9:16PM

Hong Kong at 25

February 8, 2016: Night of mob violence in Mong Kok leaves Hong Kong on edge

14 Jun 2022 - 9:30PM

Hong Kong politics

Jailed Hong Kong activist Edward Leung released early for good behaviour

Leung was sentenced to six years in jail in 2018 for his role in the 2016 Mong Kok riot during Lunar New Year.

19 Jan 2022 - 10:14PMvideocam

Hong Kong activist Edward Leung is seen in 2019 being escorted in a prison van as he arrives at the court for his sentence appeal. Photo: AP

Hong Kong politics

Family of Hong Kong activist warns supporters against showing up for release day

Edward Leung’s relatives tell supporters not to attend his release from Shek Pik Prison, say they want him to ‘rejoin his family’.

18 Jan 2022 - 7:53PM

Hong Kong politics

Jailed Hong Kong activist Edward Leung ‘likely to be watched’ after early release

Jailed for rioting in Mong Kok, prominent independence activist could be monitored by law enforcers including national security agencies, source says

30 Oct 2021 - 1:47PM

Education

Chinese University of Hong Kong warns students against engaging in illegal acts

Candidates vow to push ahead with radical localist agenda and publish manifesto attacking the national security law.

4 Feb 2021 - 12:49AMvideocam

Candidates running for the student union cabinet of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Photo: Facebook

Hong Kong national security law

Hong Kong university warns students about screening film on activist Edward Leung

Management warns showing the profile of Edward Leung, who was jailed over the Mong Kok riot, may be a breach of the law and points to limits on public gatherings. Union remains defiant and says screening will go ahead as planned.

3 Feb 2021 - 12:51AMvideocam

Hong Kong courts

Hong Kong pair admit to rioting, vandalism during clash with police

Tam Pak-hei, 22, pleads guilty to hurling bricks and objects at officers in Mong Kok in 2016, while Wong Kwok-pan, 24, admits to illegally removing a signpost from a pavement and damaging the walkway.

2 Nov 2020 - 8:14PM

Hong Kong national security law

Will chanting separatist slogans be an offence under the new security law?

A police source says anyone uttering such slogans could be arrested. Justice minister Teresa Cheng does not give a straight answer when asked whether chanting ‘Hong Kong independence’ is prohibited.

2 Jul 2020 - 12:11PMvideocam

Anti-government protesters wave Hong Kong independence flags in Causeway Bay on Wednesday. Photo: Winson Wong

Hong Kong protests

Tear gas fired on first day of Lunar New Year in Hong Kong

Crowd had gathered to mark four-year anniversary of Mong Kok riot.

26 Jan 2020 - 5:22PM

Riot police fire tear gas on Argyle Street near Langham Place in Mong Kok on Saturday January 25, 2020. Photo: RTHK

Hong Kong protests

Police ban on rally marking Mong Kok riot anniversary upheld

Appeals board unanimously backs decision to stop event after police express fear that anti-government radicals would try to hijack Sunday’s gathering.

23 Jan 2020 - 11:59PMvideocam

Hong Kong courts

Mong Kok rioter receives 46-month jail sentence for role in 2016 clashes

While the judge was sympathetic towards Amy Pat Wai-fun, who had an intellectual disability, he said it could not be used as an excuse to ‘evade criminal liabilities’.

26 Nov 2019 - 8:42PM

Hong Kong protests

Britain calls on Hong Kong protesters to ‘end the violence’

The London government’s stance was spelt out in its latest six-monthly parliamentary report on Hong Kong.

1 Nov 2019 - 12:17AM

The level of violence has escalated in Hong Kong since protests broke out in June. Photo: Sam Tsang

Localist activist Edward Leung’s appeal

10 Oct 2019 - 12:45AM

01:18

Hong Kong courts

Jailed independence figure Edward Leung’s appeal draws hundreds

His lawyers argued that his six-year jail sentence was excessive, compared to other cases from the same night

10 Oct 2019 - 7:50AM

Hong Kong protests

Opinion | Why invoking draconian emergency laws won’t solve Hong Kong protest crisis

Existing laws already give the government broad powers to ban assemblies, introduce curfews, and protect the airport and MTR stations. Invoking draconian emergency powers to push through a controversial anti-mask law or ban social media is likely to contravene Hong Kong’s Bill of Rights and deepen the mistrust of authority.

27 Sep 2019 - 6:04AM

Hong Kong protests

Explainer | What a Hong Kong protester can expect on being arrested

At least 161 of the 1,140 arrested during the ongoing social unrest have been charged and 149 released on bail. Some 122 are subject to a curfew. But who gets what and why?

4 Sep 2019 - 9:47AMvideocam

Anti-government protests have rocked Hong Kong since June. Photo: Sam Tsang

Hong Kong protests

Filipino dancer and 15-year-old among those charged over weekend clashes

Pair among 16 facing charges ranging from unlawful assembly and failing to provide proof of ID, to assaulting and obstructing police.

6 Aug 2019 - 10:35AM

Hong Kong extradition bill

Why is a Kowloon protest different from one on Hong Kong Island?

Internet users pore over why Sunday’s mass protest did not last late into the night, unlike on previous occasions on the other side of Victoria Harbour.

13 Jul 2019 - 4:33PM

Hong Kong extradition bill

Letters | Hong Kong police are the true defenders of the city

Hong Kong protesters have been getting increasingly confrontational since 2010. The police used textbook tactics to disperse the crowd on June 12 and thereafter

29 Jun 2019 - 8:00AMvideocam

Anti-extradition demonstrators throw projectiles at police officers on Harcourt Road in Admiralty on June 12. Photo: Sam Tsang

Hong Kong extradition bill

Letters | Was there a riot on June 12? Justice chief’s answer is key

28 Jun 2019 - 8:00AM

Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah meets the media at the Legislative Council Complex in Admiralty on June 24. Photo: Dickson Lee.

Hong Kong localism, independence

Letters | The shameful hypocrisy of Hong Kong’s political refugees

13 Jun 2019 - 1:00PMvideocam

Hong Kong police

Police force defends operation after violent clashes in Hong Kong

Commissioner of Police Stephen Lo says officers adopted restrained and tolerant attitude that allowed protesters to express their opinions but critics say force failed to learn from previous disturbances and had no courage to use weapons or take swift action.

13 Jun 2019 - 12:15AM

Hong Kong extradition bill

Editorial | Protest shows Lam must work harder to convince public

Following Sunday’s huge turnout against the proposed extradition law, the city’s leader would be wise to engage further in rational debate rather than rushing it through.

11 Jun 2019 - 12:15AM

The extraordinary demonstration of defiant sentiment must have given officials pause for serious reflection. But Beijing’s and the government’s resolve remains undiminished. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Law

Letters | German asylum for riot-accused an attack on Hong Kong justice system

The rule of law being a treasured cornerstone of Hong Kong society, Germany has no grounds to suggest the pair would not receive a fair trial over their involvement in a 2016 riot.

6 Jun 2019 - 7:30AMvideocam

Ray Wong (left) and Alan Li speak to journalists at an event on June 4 in Berlin, organised by Germany’s Green party to mark the 30th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown in Beijing. Photo: AFP

Hong Kong extradition bill

Hongkongers granted asylum in Germany say they faced ‘unfair trial’

Ray Wong and Alan Li, who skipped bail in 2017 while awaiting trial on charges related to the Mong Kok riot, were appearing at a seminar organised by the German Green Party commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown.

5 Jun 2019 - 10:51PM

Hong Kong localism, independence

Opinion | How the rest of the world views Hong Kong’s political turmoil

Over the past four years, events like the tear-gassing of Occupy protesters, the disqualification of lawmakers over their oaths, and the asylum-seeking of wanted activists have attracted widespread attention. The world is watching and the city’s reputation is at stake.

3 Jun 2019 - 7:00AM

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