Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun said he is willing to be jailed just to show the unfairness of the system in Hong Kong. Photo: HKEJ
Cardinal Zen to join Occupy leaders in surrendering to police
Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun said he will join the three Occupy Central leaders in turning themselves in on Wednesday, RTHK reported.
“I’m prepared to be jailed, which is the strongest and most sincere proof of the unfairness of the system in Hong Kong,” Zen said.
He said he would not defend himself if the charges are “reasonable”.
Protesters should not waste their energy and time as the government “shamelessly” showed no sign of caving in to their demand for genuine universal suffrage, he said.
The co-founders of Occupy Central – Benny Tai Yiu-ting, Reverend Chu Yiu-ming and Dr. Chan Kin-man — said they were surrendering to the police to accept the legal consequences of leading the civil disobedience movement.
They also urged the students to retreat from the protest sites.
Emily Lau Wai-hing, chairperson of the Labor Party, said some party members will also accompany the three to the police.
However, she said she may not turn herself in until the Occupy campaign ends.
“The three co-founders have been going through great pressure, and they have injected new forces into the democratic movement in Hong Kong,” Lau said.
“We hope the movement will adhere to the guidelines of peaceful and non-violent action and escalation to violence is the last thing we want to see,” she added.
Secretary for Security Lai Tung-kwok said the police will act in accordance with procedures in dealing with the three Occupy leaders.
“We are happy to see that the original co-founders have helped in calling on protesters to go home. And we hope the movement will wrap up soon,” Lai added.
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