“Solely when he advised me at a later stage in regards to the US authorities’s inside concerns, did I realise Jimmy Lai was not merely rallying for worldwide assist, however he knew sure standards [for US support] and was making an attempt to fulfill them,” stated Chan, an confederate witness.
Chan turned prosecution witness after pleading responsible to a depend of conspiracy to collude with overseas forces in August 2021.
Prosecutors alleged that Lai used Chan to ship his directions to activists of the “Combat for Freedom, Stand with Hong Kong” (SWHK) advocacy group to instigate financial sanctions and different hostile acts from the West towards Hong Kong and mainland China.
Hong Kong tycoon Jimmy Lai needed to fulfill radicals ‘in bid to de-escalate’ chaos
Hong Kong tycoon Jimmy Lai needed to fulfill radicals ‘in bid to de-escalate’ chaos
The tycoon “dreaded” seeing the person being hurled with oil and set on hearth, a message stated. “It’s about time the younger and courageous ought to have management,” he stated.
Chan stated Lai, in a subsequent assembly at his Kadoorie Avenue dwelling, “lambasted” the assault and stated the radicals had been liable to resorting to violence with out displaying organisation and restraint.
“If somebody died [during the protests], the whole motion towards the Hong Kong authorities would lose its ethical excessive floor in addition to worldwide assist,” Chan advised the court docket.
The court docket heard Lai additionally cited a well-liked protest mantra – “yellow or blue is a query of politics; black or white is a matter of conscience” – and warned that some backside traces may by no means be breached.
The witness recalled assembly Lai face-to-face for the third time in his automobile in Admiralty on November 27, the place the tycoon advised him he already had grasp in regards to the valiant camp’s actions.
The trial continues on Wednesday.
