Mong Kok Riot Jury Shown Video Of Clashes

The jury in the rioting trial of localist Edward Leung and four others has been shown footage of the clashes in Mong Kok over the Lunar New Year holiday two years ago.

As part of its opening submission, the prosecution showed the High Court clips which they said depicted Leung telling the crowd through a loudhailer that Hong Kong people don't want the police to act like their mainland counterparts, and that his group, Hong Kong Indigenous, would stay in the area with the protesters for the night.

The prosecution said the protesters were armed with shields and sticks and were wearing protective gear, apparently in preparation for a clash with police officers.

The footage showed officers issuing repeated warnings for the crowd to disperse, but their calls were ignored. The crowd repeatedly threw objects, such as bottles and rubbish bins, in the direction of police officers.

The prosecution said at one point, Leung could be heard in the footage saying the protesters had a right to march and the police could not stop them from doing so.

A fellow group member, Ray Wong, was said to be have used a loudhailer to chant a countdown, before protesters charged towards police cordons. Wong was supposed to be one of the defendants in the case, but he has since jumped bail and is missing.

The other co-defendants are Lee Nok-man, Lo Kin-man, Lam Ngo-hin and Lam Lun-hing. Another defendant, Wong Ka-kui, earlier pleaded guilty to one count of rioting.

The prosecution said it planned to call nearly a hundred witnesses in a trial that is scheduled to last 60 days.