In November 2019, a large number of demonstrators “entered” the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and clashed violently with the police. Afterwards, the police surrounded PolyU, and many demonstrators tried to escape. Six of them were arrested when they ran near the Science Museum. They denied the crime of rioting and were tried, becoming the first trial involving riots in PolyU. The District Court judge today (26th) ruled that all the defendants were guilty.
The defendants of 5 men and 1 woman are Chen Junbang (21 years old, hospital transport attendant), Chen Songxin (17 years old, student, female), Guo Tianming (20 years old, restaurant manager), Luo Jianyang (16 years old, student), Li Rilang ( 21 years old, a polytechnic student) and Yuan Tailin (21 years old, a site worker), were both charged with participating in riots in PolyU, Cheong Wan Road and Science Museum Road from November 17 to 18, 2019. The prosecution pointed out that the first four defendants were not PolyU students at the time of the case, and the remaining two were studying PolyU Higher Diploma and PolyU Upper School courses respectively.
