Gregory Wong Chung-yiu, a 45-year-old Hong Kong artist, was sentenced to more than six years imprisonment by a Hong Kong court on March 16. Such a harsh decision drew extreme anger from many Hongkongers on social media. In their minds, Mr. Wong was just loyal to his beliefs and chose to stand with the people of Hong Kong, starting ten years ago.
Pleaded Not Guilty, Eventually Sentenced to 74 Months in Prison
On March 16, with the imminent implementation of Article 23, a Hong Kong court sentenced Mr. Wong on riot charges during the July 1 intrusion into the Legislative Council in 2019 and was sentenced to six years and two months in prison.The case involves the storming of the Legislative Council during the 2019 anti-extradition movement in Hong Kong. After the police-approved rally on July 1, some protesters, out of rage with the government’s refusal to respond to demands to withdraw the amendment to the “Fugitive Offenders Ordinance,” stormed into the Legislative Council, expressing the demand for true democratic universal suffrage.
The ensuing anti-extradition movement lasted for half a year in Hong Kong. The following year, the CCP passed the Hong Kong National Security Law (NSL) and used it to send many anti-extradition movement protesters to prison. So far, more than 10,000 people in Hong Kong have been arrested.
On the night of July 1, Mr. Wong entered the Legislative Council with a charger he purchased to provide backup power to reporters on site. He stayed there for about five minutes before leaving. However, the judge said that his appearance encouraged and lent support to other “riot participants” and “could boost morale.”
‘Why Can’t You Come? I Am Also a Hongkonger’
Mr. Wong’s father was a businessperson, and his family was quite wealthy. He spent his secondary schooling in England. He studied economic statistics at both Imperial College London (ICL), and University College London (UCL), and graduated from the latter. After returning to Hong Kong, he worked in his father’s company, but he did not choose to inherit the family business. Instead, he went to Taiwan on his own to work as a model and then returned to Hong Kong to start his career in TV series and movies.
After joining the entertainment industry, he was one of the few artists in his field who dared to support the Hong Kong people’s struggle and was widely welcomed. From the 2012 Hong Kong people’s movement against the CCP’s brainwashing of education, to the 2014 Umbrella Movement for true universal suffrage, and then the 2019 anti-extradition movement, he has repeatedly stood alongside Hong Kong people and never concealed his stance.
In 2014, his popularity increased tremendously with his role as “Cheung Kwai-lung” in the TV series “The Election.” In the same year, he appeared many times at the protesters’ assembly sites during the Occupy Central movement.
After student groups launched a siege on the government headquarters in December 2014, disregarding the violent clearance by the police, Mr. Wong responded to the call, put on a helmet and a pair of goggles, and rushed to Lung Wo Road to cheer up the students. He left a message on his social networking sites, saying, “Why can’t you come? I am also a Hongkonger.” He stayed there until around 4 a.m. that day.
‘Defend Hong Kong’s Core Values with Love and Faith’
After the Umbrella Movement, the protests reached a low ebb. However, Mr. Wong still has not forgotten his original intention. When responding to why he still took to the streets on July 1, 2016, he said: “We’re in this together, we have to stand strong, because this is where we all belong.”In the same year, in the early morning of July 1, he posted on Facebook an MV of “We’re not afraid” by singer Eva Chan Sze-wai, in which he also participated, and believed that the song was very suitable for Hong Kong people on July 1, “defending our home with love and faith, and thereby defending Hong Kong’s core values.”
‘If Adults Choose to Give Up, Youngsters Would Be Even More Helpless’
On July 1, 2019, he entered the Legislative Council when protesters stormed it. He was arrested by the police two months later, in September, and charged with entering or remaining in the conference hall.However, he still spoke out in support of the protest even after his arrest. Being a British passport holder, he said he had no plans to leave Hong Kong during an interview in October 2019 with the Apple Daily. He believed that if adults choose to give up, “young people will be even more helpless.” He also pointed out that 2,000 people had already been arrested, and “we need more people to come forward.”
During the (anti-extradition) movement, then Chief Executive Carrie Lam enacted the “Prohibition on Face Covering Regulation” in October 2019. Mr. Wong criticized her for “adding fuel to the fire.” “This regime is ridiculous and makes everyone angry,” and he was heartbroken by the arrest of many young people on the front lines.
In November of the same year, during the siege of PolyU, he expressed his distress and believed that the police should not enter PolyU. He thought that an independent investigation committee needed to be established to provide justice to the citizens.
Acting Career Forced to End, Opened a Small Shop
After the peak of the movement and his arrest, his acting career was seriously affected, with only three films in which he participated released in the cinema.With his acting career stalled, Mr. Wong and his girlfriend Julia opened a snack shop, “Happy Belly,” in October 2023. The shop sells mainly Taiwan’s famous steamed buns, snacks, and a variety of drinks. After its opening, it won the support of many people in Hong Kong.
Charge Changed to Rioting, But He Remained Outspoken
In June 2020, the Department of Justice (DoJ) applied to change the charge of storming the Legislative Council to the more serious crime of rioting. Mr. Wong responded on Facebook at the time: “You don’t need to worry too much about me.”Faced with the likelihood of an increase in the maximum prison sentence from three months to ten years, Mr. Wong said this was to create panic. He also encouraged the people of Hong Kong not to forget the original intention.
In December 2020, before appearing in court, he expressed to the media that he hoped that the public would continue to pay attention to the arrest of the “12 Hong Kong people” and other individuals.
In March 2023, after visiting one yellow shop, “Dine Inn,” before its closure, he wrote on Facebook, “Thank God we meet each other on the same road. Wherever we go in the future, Hongkongers’ spirit will never be extinguished. Let fate decide when we split and when we meet again. Have a good time and enjoy the meal.”
In April of the same year, Mr. Wong mentioned that he had been owed job remuneration for quite some years. Soon after hearing that, another yellow shop, “Cafe de JarGor,” announced that it would give all the proceeds from selling glutinous rice cakes that year to Mr. Wong after deducting all expenses. After that announcement, it took just 12 minutes to sell all the 1500 glutinous rice cakes at HK$158 (US$20) each, an indication of Mr. Wong’s popularity.
