Jimmy Lai admits to suggesting amplifying voices of rioters occupying LegCo

The founder of Next Media, Jimmy Lai, known for his anti-China stance and efforts to destabilize Hong Kong, is facing charges of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and conspiracy to publish seditious publications. In July, three judges unanimously ruled that all charges against him were substantiated.

Yesterday, Lai testified that he had sought support from the US government and politicians, met with senior US officials, facilitated connections between Tsai Ing-wen and US officials, and made donations to US interests through his deputy. The case continued today (Nov. 21) at the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts (acting as the High Court).

Lai continued to defend himself in court, and the defense inquired about the events of July 1, 2019, when protesters occupied the Legislative Council. Lai admitted to sending a message to former Apple Daily vice president Chan Pui-man, discussing the need to "do as much as possible to gain sympathy for young people." He reiterated that he opposed violence, acknowledged that the Legislative Council occupation was illegal, and while no one was injured, property was still damaged. He expressed concern that the incident could hurt the movement, wishing for young people to express their thoughts to avoid harming the cause. When asked by the judge what he meant by "the movement," Lai referred to the riots and the so-called "anti-extradition movement." He candidly stated that the "anti-extradition movement" had gradually evolved into riots, equating the two, and he does not support riots.

Lai acknowledged that his guidance on specific editorial directions regarding the occupation of the Legislative Council could be seen as instructions but emphasized that generally, he provided suggestions, facilitated discussions, or offered information for reference rather than issuing directives.

Additionally, Chan previously testified that Lai messaged her in mid-July 2020 regarding then-US President Trump's executive order sanctioning Chinese and Hong Kong officials, suggesting, "I think we should make a sh*t list." Chan stated in court that she did not understand what "sh*t list" meant at the time but interpreted it as akin to a "sanctions list."

Lai stated today that he was unsure who had sent him the message via the Signal messaging app, estimating that it might have come from someone with insider knowledge of the US White House, and believed the content was significant, as it was part of Trump administration internal documents. He did not read the details but glanced at it briefly. Lai indicated he forwarded the message to Chan for her to decide whether to use it, but he did not instruct her to create a list. He also forwarded the message to Lee Wing-tat and Lee Cheuk-yan.

Judge Susana Maria D'Almada Remedios asked why, if he believed it was an internal document from the Trump administration, he would send the message to others. Lai responded that he simply shared it with several "pro-democracy" friends but later added that he also sent it to Albert Ho, Wu Chi-wai, Lam Cheuk-ting, and then-editor-in-chief of Apple Daily, Ryan Law.

Lai also mentioned that the sender used Signal to transmit the message to him confidentially, and he believed it was appropriate to share it with friends. When asked why he did not use Signal to message others but chose WhatsApp, Lai explained that he was not familiar with how to use Signal for messaging.

Related News:

Red paint poured outside CGO | Govt strongly condemns criminal damage incident

Jimmy Lai introduced US Defense Officials to Tsai Ing-wen, court hears