Hong Kong Activist Who Inspired Violent Resistance Set for Release From Jail


HONG KONG—Activist

Edward Leung

rose to prominence on the now-banned slogan “Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of Our Times,” but he didn’t get to see it become a rallying cry during the city’s mass protests in 2019.

The activist was in prison on an earlier rioting conviction when protesters swarmed Hong Kong that year, adopting his philosophy of forceful resistance in monthslong battles with police. Now the 30-year-old Mr. Leung, who is expected to be released as soon as Wednesday, will step back into a profoundly changed city.

The streets have gone quiet. Dissent has been crushed and many opposition figures have been detained since the imposition of China’s National Security Law in June 2020.

The release of Mr. Leung—who was once a key figure in the city’s nascent independence movement—comes after authorities detained dozens of high-profile pro-democracy advocates in the past 19 months. Pro-Beijing politicians have expressed concern that Mr. Leung hasn’t repented and may continue to be influential in the city, although Hong Kong’s protest movement has been all but vanquished and mostly keeps its voice through political exiles overseas.

While in jail, Mr. Leung hasn’t directly commented on his views or said what his plans might be for life after prison, though some supporters expect him to keep a low profile, given the political climate. A post uploaded to his

Facebook

page on Tuesday and signed by Mr. Leung’s family asked supporters not to trek out to the maximum-security island prison from which he will be released.

His family said the account’s content would be deleted to protect him. Mr. Leung couldn’t be reached for comment.

A police officer held a banner warning against violations of a national-security law outside a March 2021 court hearing for opposition activists charged with violating the law.



Photo:

Paul Yeung/Bloomberg News

Mr. Leung’s influence grew after his role in short-lived street battles in 2016 that were unlike anything the city had seen in decades. In what became known as the “Fishball Revolution,” an angry mob besieged a busy commercial district after government workers tried to clear unlicensed hawkers selling Hong Kong-style street foods during the Lunar New Year holidays.

The dispute spiraled into an outcry against the loss of the city’s traditions and culture, and at one point a policeman fired his gun into the air.

Mr. Leung and fellow activist

Ray Wong

were later charged with rioting. While Mr. Wong fled to Germany and later obtained asylum, Mr. Leung returned to Hong Kong from the U.S.—where he was a fellow at Harvard…



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