HONG KONG – Hundreds of masked protesters yelling “Revolution Now!” crammed the sidewalk in front of Hong Kong’s High Court and spilled onto the street in an impassioned show of support Wednesday for an activist appealing a six-year prison sentence for his part in a violent nightlong clash with police.
As a prison service bus with mesh-covered windows drove Edward Leung away after the hearing, supporters pressed up against the vehicle, briefly blocking traffic, and held five fingers up in their air. That symbolizes the five demands of Hong Kong’s protest movement for direct elections, amnesty for arrested demonstrators and other wishes.
The fate of his appeal was not immediately clear.
China’s government has targeted an array of companies and the National Basketball Association for perceived support of the Hong Kong anti-government protests. Apple Inc. became the latest on Wednesday when the ruling Communist Party’s main newspaper criticized the tech giant for a smartphone app on its App Store that allows activists to report police locations and use of tear gas.
The app, HKmap.live, “facilitates illegal behavior,” the People’s Daily said in a commentary. It warned that Apple might be damaging its reputation with Chinese consumers. Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. (AP)
