Mr Ho, a former president of the Law Society of Hong Kong, admonished police for being 'too restrained' during violent clashes with protestors at last week's 'Fish Ball riots', arguing that law enforcement officers need to take 'any actions necessary' to preserve public order. He made his comments during a televised City Forum panel debate on the incident, which has been characterised by some as one of the most violent incidents of civil unrest in Hong Kong since the infamous leftist riots of 1967. When challenged by Scholarism activist and fellow panelist Oscar Lai Man-lok as to whether he felt that police would have been justified in killing city residents, Mr Ho simply responded: 'It would not be killing Hongkongers. It would be killing rioters.'
Riot charges brought
More than 100 people were injured in the streets of Mong Kok on 9 February, when an altercation between activists and hygiene enforcement officials who were attempting to 'move-along' unlicensed street food vendors escalated into violence. At least 65 people have been arrested in connection with the protest, with 38 facing a rioting charge as of Thursday. The charge of rioting has not been brought in Hong Kong in over 15 years, and carries a maximum sentence of 10 years' imprisonment.
Article 23 speculation
During the City Forum debate, Mr Ho also cited the violence in Mong Kok to support the enactment of Hong Kong's controversial Article 23 anti-subversion legislation, which was shelved by the government in 2003 following heavy public opposition. Mr Ho's support for Article 23 came as Beijing labeled the Mong Kok protestors 'separatists', potentially classing them as a national security threat. However, Hong Kong Secretary of Security Lai Tung-kwok has maintained that the government's stance on Article 23 has not changed. Sources: South China Morning Post; Business Insider; BBC; South China Morning Post (2)
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