Police Fine LSD Activists For Flouting Gathering Ban

Police fined a group of League of Social Democrats members for allegedly violating the ban on social gatherings of more than four people as they protested outside the police headquarters in Wan Chai on Thursday morning.

The eight activists were demonstrating against the force’s decision to ban Friday’s Labour Day march organised by the pro-democracy Confederation of Trade Unions, citing the risk posed by the coronavirus pandemic.

Officers warned the protesters to disperse, but the LSD members refused, saying they had spaced themselves 1.5 metres apart and were demonstrating in groups of four people.

The LSD’s chairman, Raphael Wong, vowed they would not pay the HK$2,000 fine and would fight the case in court.

He accused the police of using the ban on social gatherings to suppress freedom of assembly in the SAR.

The police also invoked the social distancing rules to break up two so-called "sing-with-you" protests at the IFC and Cityplaza malls earlier this week.