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#FirstHand #Jan21 #NeverForget #NeverForgive
HK District Councilor saddened for less street activism and potential imprisonment over national security breach

2010| Yuen Long

Lam Chun was one of the 53 pro-democracy activists arrested in early January, 2021 for alleged violations of the #NationalSecurityLaw.

In the video, Lam admitted less resources in pro-democracy street activism following the imposition of the National Security Law and the heightened social distancing restrictions.

He said, “when I was arrested earlier this month, I was concerned about being detained or even imprisoned, because that will mean even less resource will be available for the remembrance activities of the Anti-ELAB movement, for instance, on the 21st and the 31st day of every month.”

When talking about possible prison sentence, Lam said activists are now facing ever severe consequences than rioting. Instead of 10-year imprisonment, they could be put behind bars for a life time.

#721YuenLong #LamChun
#Recognition #PressFreedom
“7.21: Who Owns the Truth" wins #PressFreedomAward, but rejected by RTHK; producers accept award on behalf of production team

A documentary on an episode of RTHK‘s “Hong Kong Connection” titled “7.21 Who Owns the Truth”, has won the Television and Radio category of the Kam Yiu-yu Press Freedom Award.

The Awards Ceremony was held on April 15, 2021 by the Kam Yiu-yu Press Freedom Foundation, but RTHK refused to accept the award.

Only two RTHK contract staff attended the ceremony and accepted the award on behalf of the team. One of them was #BaoChoy Yuk-ling, the journalist who was convicted for making false statements in obtaining information while investigating the 7.21 attack, and another producer of the show, Cheng Sze-sze.

Choy said that these are tragic times where journalists cannot be publicly honored for their work, it “really reflects the situation of the industry and of Hong Kong right now”. Cheng said that journalists in Hong Kong feel like they are walking into a tunnel, "from light to darkness", and that the darkness may never end. Yet she hopes all journalists would know that “even though the tunnel is pitch black, there are many others in there with us”. She hopes that the media industry can stand together in solidarity, and "tell others that we are in the tunnel with them, walking alongside each other."

The Print and Online Category winner is awarded to Apple Daily’s series on illegal constructions at high-ranking police officers' residences. #AppleDaily’s Assistant Interview Director Alex Lam Wai-chung said that by next year, he isn't sure "whether there would still be Apple Daily, or ‘#HongKongConnection’, or even this award at all”, but he will continue to do his all that he can in remaining time, “one step at a time”.

Source: Stand News #Apr21

#RTHK #Journalism #721YuenLong #AwardWinning

https://bit.ly/3wzzt04
#FirstHand #Jun21
Two courageous young men call for HongKongers to fight for truth and democracy amidst "National Security threat"

It has been the 23th month since the #YuenLong721Attack took place on July 21, 2019, when Hong Kong Police turned a blind eye to hundreds of pro-democracy protesters being brutally assaulted by white-clad mobsters on their way home in Yuen Long MTR station.

This day, only two brave young men were seen at the station, calling on HongKongers to hold on to the truth of the attack. They also urged public attention for those pro-democracy legislators and councilors being arrested under the National Security Law, including #NgWaiKin, a district councilor in Yuen Long.

In front of these two peaceful young men was a disproportionally large team of police officers, watching closely on their every action.

#PoliceState #HongKongProtests #721YuenLong
#Court
21 Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Protesters Jailed for Up to 42 Months for Rioting

In the largest rioting case related to the 2019 Anti-ELAB protests, 21 citizens have been sentenced to jail terms between 30 months and 42 months for rioting. They were charged for taking part in the clashes that took place in Sheung Wan on July 28, 2019.

The defendants are aged between 19 and 40, seven of whom were students.

District Court judge Johnny Chan handed down the sentences on Jan 8, 2022 on the 21 defendants.

Chan said protesters’ gear and equipment demonstrated that they had come prepared, and so a riot was not unexpected.

[Editor's note: On July 28, 2019, crowds gathered in Sheung Wan to protest the police inaction during the previous week's 7.21 Yuen Long Attack, which was widely seen as tolerating and even condoning the mob violence against civilians. In contrast, police in Sheung Wan fired numerous tear gas canisters and rubber bullets in order to disperse the protesters. 44 people were arrested, including the 21 convicted for rioting.]

Source: Inmediahk.net; #Jan8
https://bit.ly/3f06EDx

See also: Kun Kit-Wang, a 26-year-old engineer who was charged in this case, defends himself in court

part 1:
Pro-democracy Engineer tells Hong Kong Court to "Return the Power to the Citizens"
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/31827

part 2:
Pro-democracy Engineer tells Hong Kong Court: We would not be in court if we have democracy
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/31833

#SheungWan #HongKongProtests #721YuenLong
#NeverForget #AntiELAB
2.5 years after #721YuenLong Mob Attack: Who Owns the Truth Now in 2022 Hong Kong?

Source: RTHK; Stand News

Read more
⬇️⬇️
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/31957
#NeverForget #AntiELAB
2.5 years after
#721YuenLong Mob Attack: Who Owns the Truth Now in 2022 Hong Kong?

January 21, 2022 is the 2.5-year mark of the 7.21 Yuen Long Mob Attack. On July 21, 2019, pro-democracy protesters, train passengers and pedestrians were indiscriminately attacked by white-clad gangsters in Yuen Long. While the Hong Kong police had allegedly turned a blind eye, the question once posed by #RTHK's news program #HongKongConnection resurfaced: in 2022-Hong Kong, who owns the truth?

Watch RTHK's "7.21 Who Owns the Truth?" (English subtitled), courtesy of Real Hong Kong News:
https://youtu.be/4rImPpE3p2U

The news documentary was produced by former RTHK journalist #BaoChoy on the first anniversary of the attack in 2020 and had won accolades including the Press Freedom Award.

Choy examined various video evidence, tracing the attackers to various pro-China groups. She also interviewed one of the victims, who was able to identify his attackers from the surveillance camera footage provided. The victim lamented that he had to identify the suspects before the journalists, since the police did not invite him to take part in any investigation. The victim wonders if the police wanted to investigate at all.

The journalist, moreover, traced the association of some of the attackers to various village representatives in Yuen Long, partly by checking car license plates against the government's vehicle registration database. However, the authorities then arrested and fined Choy for making "false statements" when accessing the public-available database. It was the first time such a charge was laid against journalists using the vehicle database.

The Hong Kong Journalists Association (#HKJA) criticized the move, stating that checking public records had been a common investigative tool in Hong Kong.

In May 2021, RTHK began to take down videos over one year old from their online platforms. This documentary is now no longer available on their official website, as are the programs chronicling the 2019 Anti-ELAB movement.

Meanwhile, the police and state media had made concerted effort to rewrite the Yuen Long attack into a clash between "invading" protesters and those defending Yuen Long. However, another investigative report by Stand News discovered that the alleged call to protest in Yuen Long was likely fabricated, and was ultimately dismissed by discussion forums.

Watch "Tracing the Source - Investigative Report by Stand News" (English subtitled), courtesy of Real Hong Kong News:
https://youtu.be/Gch5ikVyI80

After the implementation of the #NationalSecurityLaw, pro-democracy news outlets, like #AppleDaily and #StandNews, have been pressured into shutting down. Their libraries of articles and videos, including interviews and video footage of 7.21 and many other events during the movement, had gone offline. Though netizens scrambled to back up the data, the records made by these news outlets in Hong Kong cannot be easily accessed by the public, and some may possibly be lost forever.

Two and a half years after the attack, Hongkongers today find very little room to publicly remember the events that transpired. Gatherings that merely hinted at support of the movement are suppressed by police wielding both the anti-gathering rules introduced at the start of the pandemic, as well as the #NationalSecurityLaw.

Meanwhile, the deep rift between the police force and the general public as a result of the 7.21 attack had not been healed, as the Force and its supporters cling to their version of events, which are regularly cited by pro-government and pro-China media.

For now, it is up to individual Hongkongers to investigate, record, document and remember the events they have seen, heard, and experienced during the pro-democracy movements.

Source: RTHK; Stand News

Subtitles by Real Hong Kong News

See also:
"Tracing the Source" - 7.21 Yuen Long Attack Investigative Report by Stand News
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/30599

30 months after, Hongkongers refuse to forget
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/31954

#Memory
#PoliceBrutality #NeverForget
VICE News Report on 7.21 Yuen Long Attack is Geo-Blocked in Hong Kong

Source: RFA, #Mar26

#721YuenLong #Censorship #NationalSecurityLaw #NeverForget

Read more
⬇️⬇️⬇️
#PoliceState #Neverforget
VICE News Report on 7.21 Yuen Long Attack is Geo-Blocked in Hong Kong

On March 26, 2022, a video titled "Hong Kong's Organized Crime Societies", was released on the YouTube channel of VICE News, a popular US-based news platform with over 7.6 million subscribers.

Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARB-z8B7bHs

However, netizens found that the video was "geo-blocked" in Hong Kong. Viewers with a Hong Kong IP address are met with a "video unavailable" message, stating that "the uploader has not made this video available in your country". The video description was also hidden, and its comment section disabled.

The video remains viewable to netizens outside of Asia. Viewers within the blocked region could only access it with a VPN service. It is not yet known whether VICE News chose to block the region, or if the Hong Kong authorities demanded that it did so.

The video covered interviews with victims of Yuen Long attack on July 21, 2019, when hundreds of white-clad gangsters indiscriminately attacked civilians at the Yuen Long MTR train station. Hong Kong police force was accused of colluding with the gangsters in this incident, as they render slow and minimal efforts to respond to the violence.

The geo-blocking is seen as part of the growing, organised online censorship effort following the enactment National Security Law, under which outspoken media outlets such as Apple Daily, Stand News, and Citizen News have been forced to disband or were shut down by authorities. Other documentary videos of the 7.21 incident, including those produced by RTHK, have also been taken offline, raising concerns that history is being concealed in Hong Kong, and memories of the incident are being whitewashed.

Source: RFA, #Mar26
https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/htm/hk-youtube-03292022080949.html

See also:
2.5 years after #721YuenLong Mob Attack: Who Owns the Truth Now in 2022 Hong Kong?
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/31957

#721YuenLong #Censorship #NationalSecurityLaw5
Today is the 3 year mark of the 7.21 Yuen Long attack, when all of Hong Kong watched in horror as police abandoned civilians and sided with the violent mobsters.

On this night 3 years ago, a large white-clad mob armed with sticks and pipes attacked MTR passengers and passersbys at the Yuen Long MTR station, on the pretense that they were protesters coming to protest in Yuen Long. Police officers were seen casually walking away as the attack was happening. Frantic citizens placed over 20,000 calls to the 999 emergency hotline, most of them unanswered. The Yuen Long Police Station even shut its gate and turned away citizens demanding a response.

Police finally arrived at the scene 39 minutes after the first report, long after the mob had dispersed. They were later seen warmly chatting with the white shirts gathering nearby. Pro-Beijing lawmaker #JuniusHo was also seen shaking hands with the white shirts, who greeted him warmly as he passed by.

At the government press conference the following day, Carrie Lam and the police chief dodged questions and gave little explanation for the police response in Yuen Long, prompting one exasperated journalist to demand that they "speak like human beings" and give Hongkongers some assurance. Instead, they simply turned and walked away as journalists shouted after them, nearly re-enacting the police response the night before.

In the wake of the 7.21 attack, trust in the police force plunged for Hongkongers across the political spectrum, as the city was confronted with the reality that the police force may no longer be protecting innocent civilians. The police force, for its part, tried to push the narrative that the one-sided attack was an evenly-matched "conflict between white-shirts and black-shirts", while simultaneously suppressing pro-democracy media who provided mounting evidence that refuted their claims.

In the 3 years since the attack, only 7 white-shirts were arrested for the attack that night. However, Lam Check-Ting, who injured by the white-clad attackers, is being charged for rioting.

See also:

July 21, 2019 Yuen Long
Two police constables have left, but the gangsters (in white T-shirts) remain at Yuen Long Train Station.
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/424

"Tracing the Source" - 7.21 Yuen Long Attack Investigative Report by Stand News (July 25, 2021)
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/30599

2.5 years after #721YuenLong Mob Attack: Who Owns the Truth Now in 2022 Hong Kong? (Jan 21, 2022)
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/31957

7.21 Yuen Long Attacks Worsens Police Impression From All Sectors (July 24, 2020)
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/23746

Pro-dem Lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting arrested for "Rioting" in 721 Yuen Long. Author of "Yuen Long Darkest Night" raises doubt and concern (Aug 26, 2020)
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/24525

#AntiELAB #YuenLongAttack #NeverForget #GoHKgraphics
"7.21: The Unfinished Case": Video Report by #IndependentJournalists Reviews Records of #YuenLongAttack, Victims Speak Up as they Revisit the Scene

Part 1 of 3

#AntiELAB #BaoChoy #721YuenLong #YuenLongAttack #NeverForget

Source: InMediaHK.net #Jul21
https://bit.ly/3omtWYB

Read more
⬇️⬇️⬇️
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/33081
"7.21: The Unfinished Case": Video Report by #IndependentJournalists Reviews Records of #YuenLongAttack, Victims Speak Up as they Revisit the Scene

Part 1 of 3

The man walked around the Yuen Long MTR station with a tablet on his hand, which was replaying a video clip of the 7.21 attack. "It should be here .... No wait, a little further forward ... yes, this is the spot."

Galileo is one of the victims of the 7.21 Yuen Long Attack. 3 years ago, he saw former Stand News journalist Gwyneth Ho being assaulted, and rushed forward with several others to restrain the attackers. However, the attackers quickly turned on him; he was swarmed by 6 or 7 of them, and beaten with umbrellas, canes, and wooden sticks.

On the third anniversary of the attack, a group of independent journalists compiled a special video report titled "7.21: The Unfinished Case".

Watch the video here:
https://youtu.be/smIWjWLYqq8

The group includes the award-winning former RTHK producer #BaoChoy; they interviewed several victims and witnesses of the attack, and revisited the scene of the attack at the MTR station, attempting to piece together the truth of the incident.

Source: InMediaHK.net #Jul21
https://bit.ly/3omtWYB

See Also:
3 year mark of the 7.21 Yuen Long attack: when all of Hong Kong watched in horror as police abandoned civilians and sided with the violent mobsters
https://t.me/BeWaterHK/781

"Tracing the Source" - 7.21 Yuen Long Attack Investigative Report by Stand News (July 25, 2021)
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/30599

2.5 years after #721YuenLong Mob Attack: Who Owns the Truth Now in 2022 Hong Kong? (Jan 21, 2022)
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/31957

#AntiELAB #BaoChoy #721YuenLong #YuenLongAttack #NeverForget
"7.21: The Unfinished Case": Video Report by #IndependentJournalists Reviews Records of #YuenLongAttack, Victims Speak Up as they Revisit the Scene

Read Part 1:
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/33081

Part 2 of 3

Interviewee: "Not a Group Fight, Only Being Assaulted"

The report strings together several scattered video segments, including live reporting by #StandNews, phone videos from citizens, security cameras from nearby shops, as well as videos by the recently-shut-down #FactWire.

The video presented several iconic moments of the night of July 21-22, 2019: men in white shirts distributing bamboo sticks from their vehicles, riot police repeatedly making way for the white shirts to leave by car, police officers patting the shoulders of the white-clad men, pro-Beijing lawmaker #JuniusHo shaking hands with the white men.

The interviewees said that there were over 200 white shirts involved that evening, but only 7 had been convicted of rioting and intentional bodily harm.

Galileo, who agreed to show his face in his interview, remarked that the nature of the 7.21 incident "was not a group fight; it was purely a case of being attacked and assaulted." He believed that there may currently be fewer than 10 people who would be willing to comment on the 7.21 incident, considering the way the government had characterized the incident as well as the law today. However, he insisted on speaking out on his own experiences and thoughts: "I stand by my principle: I say what is true."

Watch "7.21: The Unfinished Case" on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/smIWjWLYqq8

The video report also interviewed a shop owner who provided CCTV footage. "I don't want the truth to be drowned," he said. He also remarked that he seem to have been stalked because he accepted the interview, and had to check himself into a hotel in order to stay safe.

Before the camera, he shared that "the feeling of being unsafe now surrounds Hong Kong, including everyone who had spoken up, or had provided evidence, or had taken a stance contrary to the regime's."

"'The truth will eventually prevail,'" he said, almost cynically. "But when is 'eventually'? In ten years? Twenty? Thirty?" He hoped that he would live to see it. He stressed, however, that even though it seems the truth could not prevail now, the chance will be gone if he doesn't speak up.

Source: InMediaHK.net #Jul21
https://bit.ly/3omtWYB

See Also:
3 year mark of the 7.21 Yuen Long attack: when all of Hong Kong watched in horror as police abandoned civilians and sided with the violent mobsters
https://t.me/BeWaterHK/781

"Tracing the Source" - 7.21 Yuen Long Attack Investigative Report by Stand News (July 25, 2021)
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/30599

2.5 years after #721YuenLong Mob Attack: Who Owns the Truth Now in 2022 Hong Kong? (Jan 21, 2022)
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/31957

#AntiELAB #BaoChoy #721YuenLong #YuenLongAttack #NeverForget
"7.21: The Unfinished Case": Video Report by #IndependentJournalists Reviews Records of #YuenLongAttack, Victims Speak Up as they Revisit the Scene

Read Part 1:
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/33081

Part 3 of 3

Production Team: "Awaiting the Day when the Full Truth is Revealed"

The production team consisted of several anonymous independent journalists, including Bao Choy, who was a former RTHK producer of the Hong Kong Connection episode "7.21: Who Owns the Truth", and had been convicted by the authorities for making false statements in the process of routine investigation of records when producing the episode.

Watch "7.21: The Unfinished Case" on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/smIWjWLYqq8

The team emphasized that they did not belong to any media organization, and did not have a news platform. They thanked various independent media for their efforts in sharing the production. As independent journalists, they said, the team did not have salary or sufficient resources, but nevertheless completed the production and held to their professional principles.

They spoke of an interviewee who had been stalked for providing security camera footage, and had to live in fear of retribution. However, they had no regrets for bringing the evidence to light. Another interviewee described the process of seeking the truth was like continuously running into dead ends, but insisted on "continuing to do whatever I can."

The team saluted the interviewees: "They clearly understood that in these circumstances, very few people still dared to speak up publicly about the 7.21 attack. Yet they are still willing to be named and be interviewed on camera."

There were some among the truth-seekers who had been forced to leave the city, while others chose to stay. However, the team said, they are all waiting for the day when the full truth is revealed.

Their goal in producing this report, they said, was only to "put on record more evidence of this serious incident of assault."

Source: InMediaHK.net #Jul21
https://bit.ly/3omtWYB

See Also:
3 year mark of the 7.21 Yuen Long attack: when all of Hong Kong watched in horror as police abandoned civilians and sided with the violent mobsters
https://t.me/BeWaterHK/781

"Tracing the Source" - 7.21 Yuen Long Attack Investigative Report by Stand News (July 25, 2021)
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/30599

2.5 years after #721YuenLong Mob Attack: Who Owns the Truth Now in 2022 Hong Kong? (Jan 21, 2022)
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/31957

#AntiELAB #BaoChoy #721YuenLong #YuenLongAttack #NeverForget