Alvin Cheng Explained

Alvin Cheng Kam-mun
Native Name Lang:zh-hk
Other Names:Alvin, "4 Eyes Brother"
Birth Date:1988 6, df=yes
Birth Place:Chaozhou, Guangdong, China
Office:Vice-chairman of Civic Passion
Term Start:14 September 2016
Party:Civic Passion
Known For:Umbrella Movement
Residence:Hong Kong
Education:Queensland University of Technology
Years Active:2014–present
T:鄭錦滿
Y:Jehng Gám Múhn
P:Zhèng Jǐnmǎn

Alvin Cheng Kam-mun (Chinese: t=鄭錦滿, born 23 June 1988), also known as "Brother Four Eyes" (Chinese: t=四眼哥哥|links=no), is a Hong Kong political activist, a member of Civic Passion, and founder of student activist organization Student Front. In 2014, he led a rally in support of the Hong Kong Umbrella Movement during the G20 Brisbane summit.[1]

Political career

On 22 September 2014, in response to the arrest of student protesters in the Hong Kong Umbrella Movement Cheng returned home from his studies at Queensland University of Technology to participate in the protest.[2]

In November 2014, Cheng went back to Brisbane to lead a rally in support for the Umbrella Movement during the 2014 G20 Brisbane summit. On the 16th, the four-hour rally on a lawn outside the summit venue attracted participation by many overseas students from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Mainland China.[3] [4] [5] [6]

On 6 December 2014, Cheng established Student Front, a student activist organization to fight against the "stage power" and to remain at the frontlines after the Hong Kong Federation of Students and Scholarism quit the protests. He was arrested on suspicion of attending, and inciting others to take part in, an illegal assembly.[7] He wrote an article that indicated he was arrested on 26 December 2014 and not granted bail.[8] After the Umbrella Movement, Cheng continued with numerous protest activities, such as gau wu and the movement against parallel trading. He was arrested on several occasions and found it difficult to obtain bail.[9] He was then banned from entering Mong Kok by a court order.[10]

On 2 March 2015, Cheng announced that Student Front was dissolved and warned other activists not to depend completely on "student activism organizations".[11] On the morning of 27 April 2015, Cheng was involved in a dispute with supporters of Avery Ng, the vice-chairman of the League of Social Democrats, outside Mong Kok Police Station regarding the progress of the Umbrella Movement.[12]

On 20 August 2015, Cheng was convicted of obstructing bailiff officers from clearing occupied roads in Mong Kok on 26 November 2014, and sentenced to 21 days' detention.[13] [14]

On 20 November 2019, Cheng was arrested by Hong Kong police when he tried to escape from the siege of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He was eventually convicted for taking part in a riot, and sentenced to 3 years and 8 months in prison on 11 February 2023.[15]

Disqualification in 2020 Legco election

Five weeks ahead of the (subsequently postponed) 2020 Hong Kong Legislative Council Election, on 30 July 2020, as Cheng preparted to stand, the government stated that he was among a dozen pro-democracy candidates whose nominations were 'invalid', under an opaque process in which, nominally, civil servants – returning officers – assess whether, for instance, a candidate had objected to the enactment of the national security law, or was sincere in statements made disavowing separatism.[16]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: zh. 「四眼哥哥」組「學生前線」繼續抗爭. Apple Daily. 2014-12-06. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150701003637/http://hk.apple.nextmedia.com/realtime/news/20141206/53203690. 1 July 2015.
  2. News: Hong Kong protests: 'People will be asking in 10 years, 20 years, where were you?'. The Sydney Morning Herald. 2014-10-09. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150219141546/http://www.smh.com.au/world/hong-kong-protests-people-will-be-asking-in-10-years-20-years-where-were-you-20141009-10rtau.html. 19 February 2015.
  3. News: zh. 澳洲港人趁G20集會聲援. Apple Daily. 2014-11-18. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150701003639/http://hk.apple.nextmedia.com/news/art/20141118/18939037. 1 July 2015.
  4. News: zh. 加拿大议员支持香港真普选 澳留学生声援占中. Radio Free Asia. 2014-11-20. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150630144734/http://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/HK-ZZ-overseas-11202014093448.html. 30 June 2015.
  5. News: zh. 港人 G20 會場外爭真普選. i-Cable Communications. 2014-11-16.
  6. News: zh. 留學生G20期間聲援佔領運動. . 2014-11-16.
  7. News: List of who's who taken into custody. South China Morning Post. 2014-12-12. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150924194741/http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1661312/list-whos-who-taken-custody. 24 September 2015.
  8. News: zh. 四眼哥哥獄中反思小記. Passion Times. 2015-01-03. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150702083304/http://www.passiontimes.hk/article/01-03-2015/20360. 2 July 2015.
  9. News: zh. 四眼哥哥准保釋 禁經旺角轉車. Oriental Daily News. 2015-01-02. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150402115606/http://www.on.cc/hk/bkn/cnt/news/20150102/bkn-20150102121711332-0102_00822_001.html. 2 April 2015.
  10. News: zh. 四眼哥哥違禁踏足令闖旺角 即時收押. Oriental Daily News. 2014-12-26. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150402153504/http://hk.on.cc/hk/bkn/cnt/news/20141226/bkn-20141226162728982-1226_00822_001.html. 2 April 2015.
  11. News: zh. 「學生前線」突解散 「四眼哥哥」籲勿再迷信「學生組織」. Apple Daily. 2015-03-02. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150701030822/http://hk.apple.nextmedia.com/realtime/news/20150302/53488108. 1 July 2015.
  12. News: zh. 鄭錦滿吳文遠 旺角警署外口角. Truth Media (Hong Kong). 2015-04-27. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150621010657/http://tmhk.org/2015/04/%E9%84%AD%E9%8C%A6%E6%BB%BF%E5%90%B3%E6%96%87%E9%81%A0-%E6%97%BA%E8%A7%92%E8%AD%A6%E7%BD%B2%E5%A4%96%E5%8F%A3%E8%A7%92/. 21 June 2015.
  13. News: zh. 「鳩嗚」阻差辦公 鄭錦滿囚21日. Oriental Daily News. 2015-08-21. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150822223616/http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/news/20150821/00176_009.html. 22 August 2015.
  14. https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2005641/occupy-protesters-lawyer-argues-hong-kong-justice-chief Occupy protesters’ lawyer argues Hong Kong justice chief ‘stumbled’ in contempt of court charge
  15. Web site: Lee . Peter . 2023-02-13 . Hong Kong activist jailed for 44 months over PolyU siege; 7 handed up to 13 months for helping protesters escape . 2023-02-13 . Hong Kong Free Press HKFP . en-GB.
  16. Web site: Hong Kong bans Joshua Wong and 11 other pro-democracy figures from legislative election. Hong Kong Free Press. Kelly. Ho. Tom. Grundy. Jennifer. Creery. 30 July 2020. 3 December 2020.