Citizen’s Radio street station displays banners supporting prisoners; convicted activists fined — Tsang Kin-shing tells magistrate ruling is “Hong Kong’s silent future”
民間電台街站掛橫額聲援在囚、罪成罰款 曾健成向官稱其裁決「係香港無聲嘅未來」
League of Social Democrats member “Ah Niu” Tsang Kin-shing and two other Citizen’s Radio volunteers were accused of setting up a street station and displaying banners, posters and other items in Causeway Bay in May 2022 in support of prisoners without the Lands Department’s approval. After trial, all three were convicted of “displaying/affixing bills or posters on government land without permission”, fined $2,500 each, and ordered to share removal costs of $157.4. In delivering her ruling, magistrate Vivian Wai Han Ho said that the process of the defendants’ setting up the street station showed that the items were definitely displayed to a certain extent “permanently, or with habitual regularity”. She also said there was no indication of bias in enforcement. Tsang Kin-shing told the magistrate that following the convictions, it would be difficult to obtain the Lands Department’s approval, saying: “It will be very difficult to set up street stations in Hong Kong in the future,” and “Can’t you tell us which way to go?” Tsang also asked the magistrate to state in her written judgment that the Lands Department should not “create excuses to prevent people from applying”. The magistrate said she would not make any further ruling. Tsang subsequently said: “Your judgment today… is Hong Kong’s silent future.”
社民連成員「阿牛」曾健成及另外兩名「民間電台」義工，被指 2022 年 5 月在銅鑼灣，未得地政總署批准下，擺設街站並展示橫額、海報等聲援在囚者，被控「未經准許而在政府土地展示／張貼招貼或海報」，經審訊後均被裁定罪成，各被判罰 2,500 元，另須共同承擔 157.4 元移除費。 裁判官何慧嫻裁決時指，從被告設置街站過程等可見，物品絕對屬某程度上「永久，或具慣常規律性」展示，又指看不見執法上有偏頗；曾健成則向官表示，是次被判罪成後，因難以得到地政總署批准，「日後香港係好難可以擺到街站」、「你話唔話到條路畀我哋聽？」 曾又向官提出，希望她在判詞「寫明地政署係應該唔好巧立明目，唔畀人申請」，官則指沒進一步裁決；曾之後表示「你今日嘅判決…就係香港無聲嘅未來。」