Does this really deserve 21 days in Prison?
I am speechless.
Spiderman’ protester jailed in Hong Kong
Last Modified:
15 Mar 2006
Source: ITN
A British man has been jailed over a political protest in Hong Kong in which he scaled a giant TV screen dressed as Spiderman.
Teacher Matt Pearce, 30, was convicted of causing a public nuisance and
sentenced to 21 days in prison after protesting over Beijing’s 1989
Tiananmen Square massacre.
Pearce, from Chipping Sodbury, near Bristol, was found
guilty after a trial in Hong Kong’s Eastern Court. He was handed the
prison term but was released on bail pending an appeal.
Speaking from his home in Hong Kong, Pearce said the
sentence was heavier than expected and that he believed it was
politically motivated.
He said: "I was prepared to go to prison, but it’s my
first offence and it is extremely unusual to send someone to prison for
a public order charge.
"I know full well that what I have done has angered the Hong Kong authorities and Beijing."
He added: "It was a political thing and I knew I would be facing jail,
but even if I do go to prison I think it has been worthwhile.
"It has raised awareness of the ongoing injustice of the
situation and the fact that the Chinese government still haven’t
apologised.
"What I did was speaking to the people of Hong Kong saying
that people of my generation hadn’t forgotten what happened and, as a
foreigner, I’m raising awareness outside of Hong Kong."
Pearce is a founding member of International Action, a small political group in Hong Kong.
The protest happened on the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square killings last June.
Yan Sham-Shackleton Online 