A small symbolic victory for high-profile pan-dems who appealed against their convictions for organizing the August 18 2019 protest…
The appeal justices disagreed with [judge Amanda] Woodcock’s findings that it was unlikely that the procession would have come into being without the appeal applicants forming the banner party. Just because the democrats agreed to head the procession and led the crowd along a route the police had been informed of, did not render them guilty of organising the procession, the judgement read.
“An inference that because they were at the front of the procession, they must have organised it is not a realistic or suitable substitute evidence that they were involved in its organisation,” judges on the appeal panel wrote.
Small and symbolic as the pan-dems concerned were either already free (under suspended sentences), or are already in jail facing far tougher punishments.
A couple of items on Twitter*…
Mark Simon on the scrapping of Oriental Daily’s Kung Fu Tea column
That [OD’s owners] feel they can’t risk going after the local government isn’t a sign that they’re scared of john lee. But rather, unlike, in the past where you could go after the local government, and not … Beijing, there is no separation between the two. Beijing is the HK government. – there’s no doubt now that the Ma family has backed down..
And a pic of the ICAC leaflet warning against ‘inciting’ people not to vote…
Telling other people not to vote or spoiling a vote is an offence and could lead to three years in prison and a HKD200,000 fine.
Has anyone explained the legal logic behind this law? It is legal not to vote, and legal to urge others to do so – yet encouraging them not to is a crime?
A Deputy Commissioner retires from the HK Police after 37 years and gets a lengthy, glowing send-off from the SCMP. Multiple mentions of the dangers of ‘soft resistance’ – yet still no explanation of what it is. (Does not voting count?)
Asia Nikkei story on the government’s appeal against the Glory to Hong Kong injunction decision…
“Even though the Hong Kong government has the right to appeal, this would only be seen as an act continuing to pressurize tech companies [such as Google] in Hong Kong, which does not make sense to the government’s own agenda of attracting international investment and promoting itself as a business-friendly environment,” Eric Lai, research fellow at the Georgetown Center for Asian Law, told Nikkei. Authorities have criticized Google for featuring the protest song high in search results for “Hong Kong national anthem.”
“The aggressive attempt to use the court for political repression would further damage the reputation of Hong Kong’s common law and economic attractiveness,” Lai added.
From Bloomberg – more on the clampdown on a Shanghai migration consultant. An arrest is reportedly of Linda He Mei of…
…Wailian Overseas Consulting Group Inc., a Shanghai-based firm that helps rich Chinese citizens acquire visas to Western nations, secures spots for their children in elite foreign schools and facilitates overseas investments, according to its website.
*A SMH piece asks (quite reasonably) ‘Twitter’s death might be good for society – but what about me?’ as the site fades under…
…egomaniacal nerds who were given too much power because their families have emeralds and they make computers go. They were never meant to have this kind of social status, and this much power.
Macrae is a great judge and this is obviously his swan song. What they call the judicial two fingers.
Expect sudden rationalisation, redeployment and retirement in the upper bench.
On the whole though we must also rejoice that one media baron is in the clink. Let’s hope it sets a precedent other jurisdictions will follow. Lai meanwhile has more living space in Stanley Prison than the average person does in Hong Kong, plus three hot meals a day, doctor on call, hot water sort of, clean clothes, free electric, fresh air. How the non-pensioners of Kwun Tong envy him.
I don’t recall Lai campaigning for more flats for the people. I must have missed it in his sordid little newspaper. It must have been buried in the tits and bums, the whore adverts and brothel reviews.
It is also ironic that a media fortune built on endless stories of the crooked and the spookily psychotic ends Lai face to face with the crazed weirdos and greedy criminals he made so much money and gained so much power out of. He can smell their farts at last and get the real story from Rurik and Henry rather than just having his scribes writing about them.
Hurrah!
So warnings against inciting people to NOT vote is somehow worse than giving voters no real options except for the pre determined and approved outcome option?
I see. And yes, I’d say not voting IS “soft resistance”.
(kind of like what the American republicans are trying to do to win elections by disenfranchising citizens, eliminating the Voting Rights Act, cutting the numbers of voting venues, restricting mail-in ballots, gerrymandering to their advantage, etc. etc. etc.)
The push to reduce the opening hours of the poling stations is another own goal. Based on data from exit polls in previous indicating that the last hour voters surge was majority pro democrats, it ignores the reality that this year that block will not be flocking to the stations at any time.
So the outcome will be to prevent pro establishment voters who are not free earlier in the day from participating and boosting turnout.
As the wise saying goes, be careful what you wish for.
Is being an intolerant berk a requirement to comment here?
ICAC leaflet is pretty rich considering the government’s re-rigging of the voting and legislative system is specifically designed to give people only two choices at the polls: to either not vote or cast a de facto invalid vote for a government-picked non-entity to sit in a meaningless legislature.
What is with the daily ‘Hurrah’ crap?
I have a real bone to pick with that infuriating SMH column.
“It is like the wild wild west, except in this case the west is run by egomaniacal nerds who were given too much power because their families have emeralds and they make computers go. They were never meant to have this kind of social status, and this much power.”
The author is conflating a a billionaire of slightly above average intelligence who doesn’t have a technical background but does have an emerald mine with actual nerds of high intelligence that have software engineering skills and are the actual people who make computers go not Musk. Musk fired them all you dummy. That’s why Twitter is going to shit.
Nerds were never meant to have this kind of social status? Better get used to the new order hon. This is the age of big tech and cyberpunk. With machine learning these nerds have more power than ever.
@Natasha
Are you referring to Nury Vibbrachi? Because yes he absolutely sucks. It’s probably Reactor #4 under a new persona that is supposed to be more “funny”. But I otherwise don’t see many other intolerant berks here. Most commenters here are reasonable.
It’s really quite sad. Pathetic. Just page down as soon as the comments load to skip the standard nonsense (always first) comment
@Mark Bradley
Indeed, Nury’s comments about Jimmy Lai are indeed intolerant.
However, the intolerant comment below is even worse.
“Kind of like what the American republicans are trying to do to win elections by disenfranchising citizens, eliminating the Voting Rights Act, cutting the numbers of voting venues, restricting mail-in ballots, gerrymandering to their advantage, etc. etc. etc.”
The bien pensants have zero self-awareness and even less tolerance for opposing views.
@Nury
I usually don’t bother to read your sub-column, as it’s never nearly as clever as you think it is. In this, you have much in common with your namesake.
I went back and perused today’s “transgressive,” ooh, how cheeky edition, though, after seeing the comments. Yes, they did smell a turd.
@Natasha: So you’re okay with what the modern American “republican” party is doing these days in the States (in addition to the undermining of democracy there) OR do you agree that they’re a bunch of racist, misogynist, borderline fascist, hateful cunts that can’t win national elections fair and square?
Please…don’t hold back.
Jimmy Lai in no way deserves what he is going though or will go through, for what remains of the rest of his life.
However master Vibbrachi has a point. As well as sticking it to the man, master Lai ran a total rag, “investigating” brothels etc. Plus somebody who supports and (allegedly, admires Trump does not endear.
Classic dichotomy.
As I was saying…
“ However master Vibbrachi has a point. As well as sticking it to the man, master Lai ran a total rag, “investigating” brothels etc. Plus somebody who supports and (allegedly, admires Trump does not endear.”
Oh he ran a perfectly legal newspaper that had more character actual rags like SCMP. Him endorsing Trump was a mistake but HKers generally have been endeared by Lai and Lai standing up to the commies selflessly more than makes up for any shortfalls of his character.
@Natasha
Criticising the actions of Republican politicians (“gerrymandering”) (“disenfranchisement”) isn’t an intolerant comment. It’s supported by evidence as the GOP has been doing these actions in many US states and there is a public record.
I like it when Republicans cut taxes, defund the IRS, and protect 2A. I don’t like it when they ban abortion (“misogyny”), show intolerance to sexual minorities, and hand wave away police brutality against ethnic minorities (“racism”).
Chinese Netizen didn’t even point out how badly compromised the republicans are to Russia. During the Reagan era the republicans were the most anti Russian bunch around and for good reason!
I think my comment is balanced and not intolerant.
@Mark Bradley
“…or do you agree that they’re a bunch of racist, misogynist, borderline fascist, hateful cunts that can’t win national elections fair and square?”
Tolerance breaking out all over.