Legco Storming Charges Upgraded To Rioting

Four people being prosecuted over the storming of Legco by protesters on July 1 last year say they have been informed that their charges of illegally entering the chamber have now been upgraded to the more serious offence of rioting.

The four are actor Gregory Wong, localist Ventus Lau, former Hong Kong University student leader Althea Suen and Brian Leung, a protester who removed his mask while reading out a statement in the Legco chamber on the night in question.

On their social media accounts, the four said they were told about the rioting charge this week, ahead of their case coming back before Eastern Court on Wednesday.

While the original charge carries a maximum penalty of three months in prison, a rioting conviction can put people behind bars for up to a decade.

Leung, who returned to the US to continue his studies after the July 1 protest, wrote about the amended charge on Twitter.

"To go back, or not to go back, has tormented me for months. As I made up my mind and bought a ticket back home, I received this heavy news, not to mention Beijing's decision to introduce the national security law. Am I now a fugitive? An exile? A political refugee? I don't know," he said.

It took months and millions of dollars of taxpayers' money to repair the vandalism caused to the Legco complex when it was stormed last year.