The Criminal Court on Wednesday acquitted five anti-government protesters indicted on charges of attempted violence against Her Majesty the Queen during an incident involving a royal motorcade in 2020.
The case covered an event during pro-democracy demonstrations in October 2020, when a motorcade carrying the Queen was heckled as it drove past a group of protesters.
Video of the incident on Oct 14, 2020 showed authorities pushing activists away from the convoy.
However, witness testimony indicated that everyone — police and protesters included — appeared to have been caught off-guard by the sudden appearance of the motorcade near Government House.
The court found that police had not prepared for any such event. There had been no signs posted or announcements made before the procession.
As the procession passed by, public officials drew close to the vehicles and the crowd came to believe their rally would be dispersed. Many cheered and held up three fingers in protest but they were protesting against the police, not the royal procession, witnesses said.
Five activists had been indicted under Section 110 of the Criminal Code, which punishes violence or attempted violence against the Queen with a minimum sentence of 16 years in prison.
More serious breaches of the same law can lead to life imprisonment or even a death sentence.
“I’m really glad … we’ve been fighting this and insisting on our innocence,” one of the activists told Reuters after the ruling.
