Junius Ho facing disciplinary hearing by British legal body over remarks suggesting Hong Kong independence advocates should be killed ‘mercilessly’
- The lawmaker and pro-Beijing firebrand, who is no stranger to controversy, made the remarks while on stage at a rally in 2017
- Ho, who is licensed to practise law in England and Wales, could be removed from the British register depending on the outcome of the hearing
Outspoken pro-Beijing Hong Kong lawmaker Junius Ho Kwan-yiu is facing a disciplinary hearing by the regulatory body of Britain’s legal profession over controversial comments he made during a rally three years ago in which he suggested pro-independence elements should be killed “mercilessly”.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority, a lawyers’ regulatory body in Britain, where Ho is also qualified as a lawyer, has announced it is pursuing the case and a hearing is to be held before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
At the centre of the case are comments the 58-year-old legislator and lawyer made during a rally he co-organised in 2017 that called for the sacking of then-University of Hong Kong law lecturer Benny Tai Yiu-ting for his role in the 2014 Occupy Central protests.
Ho claimed Tai had promoted “lawbreaking under the name of civil disobedience”, bringing about a rise in calls for Hong Kong independence.
Tai was sacked by the university in July this year over criminal convictions for his role in the Occupy movement.
During the 2017 rally, a guest on the stage said separatists deserved to be “killed”, to which Ho, who was also on stage, added “mercilessly”.
Both then insisted that anyone engaged in wrongdoing “should not be let off under any circumstances”.
After the rally, in response to a reporter’s question, Ho again made comments saying that those who supported Hong Kong independence deserved to be “killed”.
His characteristically combative rhetoric was taken at face value as an incitement to violence, with the city’s opposition politicians criticising the pugnacious lawmaker for using such intimidating words. Some people reportedly also filed complaints to the lawyers’ regulatory body in Britain.
British university strips pro-Beijing lawmaker Junius Ho of honorary degree over remarks
Ho said at the time that he believed the campaign against him stemmed from his firm position against Hong Kong independence and Tai.
But in a subsequent TV interview in 2017, Ho said that in hindsight he viewed the “killed mercilessly” comment as an unfortunate choice of words.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority said that “Mr Ho made remarks, directed to all attendees, which supported and reinforced comments made by another person which he knew … on a reasonable interpretation, carried a meaning to the effect that political opponents to the issue under discussion should be killed”.
The authority also said Ho’s remarks “were capable of being perceived as inciting violence against opponents” or “were capable of causing offence”.
The authority said the tribunal was an independent body, “which will reach its own decision after considering all the evidence, including any evidence put forward by [Ho]”.
“The allegations are subject to a hearing before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal and are as yet unproven,” the authority noted in a statement on its website.
The tribunal will decide whether to remove Ho from the British register after the hearing, but the authority did not specify a date for the hearing in its notice on the website.
Ho declined to comment on the development when contacted by the Post on Wednesday night.
Ho is an elected legislator for the New Territories West constituency, and is a senior partner of the law firm K C Ho & Fong Solicitors & Notaries. He is also qualified to practice law in England and Wales, and served as the Hong Kong Law Society’s president from 2011 to 2012.
Ho at the time denied any ties with criminal elements and argued he was only passing by the area at the time, though he also publicly defended the mob’s actions.
Following the incident, Ho’s offices in three districts were vandalised, and his parents’ graves were desecrated.
