Hong Kong court convicts 7 men, including ex-lawmaker, of rioting during 2019 protests

Associated Press

HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong judge on Thursday convicted seven people, including a pro-democracy former lawmaker, of rioting during mob violence at a subway station at the height of the city’s anti-government protests in July 2019. Prosecutors accused former legislator Lam Cheuk-ting and the six other defendants of provoking members of a group of about 100 men armed with wooden poles and metal rods who attacked protesters and bystanders at a train station. The violence — which left dozens of people injured  — was a key chapter that escalated the protest movement as the public criticized police for their delayed response. The seven convicted men will be sentenced in Februrary.