Hong Kong: Spiderman in court

The junction of Queen's Road Central, Pedder Street and D'Aguilar Street has long been the whirling kernel of Hong Kong's central business district. Lunchtimes, those streets and the ones adjoining are packed with office workers going about their own personal business.
Last 3 June, pedestrians and road traffic came to a halt when someone dressed as Spiderman appeared on top of the huge video screen on Queen's Road Central and unfurled a banner about the 1989 Tiananmen Square 4 June bloodbath.
The multitudes watched as Spiderman was soon joined by the members of the fire brigade (left) and police. Meanwhile, a huge yellow inflatable cushion was set up on Queen's Road Central. Road traffic was diverted.
Mr Pearce finally came down after his request for dim sum was granted. Whereupon the multitudes returned to the tedium of their fluorescent-lit, air-conditioned, windowless workplaces.
Now, Spiderman, aka Matt Pearce, is having his day in court. He is charged with causing a public nuisance:

Prosecutor Bina Sujanani said Pearce had failed to take into account the rights of the owners of the TV screen; the advertisers who paid for the use of the screen; the rights of the public to watch adverts on the screen and to shop; and the rights of the nearby shopowners who were affected by the disruption in the height of "golden" business hours.
Sujanani said Pearce's actions were not lawful ones that can be reasonably tolerated. She noted that a total of 44 policemen, firemen and ambulancemen were engaged for his action. She said his stunt was "nothing more than a prank."
Burkett replied: "Shopowners have to acknowledge there's no legal obligation on Hong Kong citizens to shop during their lunch break." He noted that anyone with the intention to make a purchase could still have accessed those shops.
"Thank Heavens," Burkett said, that Pearce offered lunch-time browsers an alternative to shopping, "either to shop, or watch the man on the TV screen. They chose to watch the man on the TV screen."

Report: Standard