A man has been arrested over a viral stunt in which thousands of banknotes were thrown from a rooftop in one of Hong Kong’s poorest districts, causing a stampede on the street below.
Footage uploaded to a Facebook page promoting cryptocurrencies shows a man wearing a black hoodie, and with what appears to be a longbow over his shoulder, giving a speech in Cantonese on the street before the cash is thrown.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The man, whom The Times likens to a “Robin Hood” figure, announces that it is a “big day”, adding: “I hope everyone here will pay attention to this important event… I don’t know whether any of you will believe money can fall from the sky.”
The ensuring chaos as the banknotes fluttered down from a nearby building saw police sealing off the street, although only a small amount of the money was recovered.
The South China Morning Post (SCMP) reports that officers later arrested digital currency tycoon Wong Ching-kit - known online as Coin Young Master - who is believed to be behind Epoch Cryptocurrency, the Facebook page on which the video appeared.
In another video posted on the page shortly after the stunt, Wong claimed he was “robbing the rich to help the poor”. He also invited his Facebook followers to enter a contest involving virtual currency trading.
Barrister Albert Luk Wai-hung said Wong had breached the public order ordinance by causing disorder in a public place. “How did he do his promotion? He wanted to create chaos to do it,” Luk said.
The maximum penalty for such an offence is a HK$5,000 (£506) fine and 12 months in prison.
Luk also said that if passers-by pick up lost money and do not report it to the police, they are technically breaking the law.
-
Which way will Trump go on Iran?Today’s Big Question Diplomatic talks set to be held in Turkey on Friday, but failure to reach an agreement could have ‘terrible’ global ramifications
-
High Court action over Cape Verde tourist deathsThe Explainer Holidaymakers sue TUI after gastric illness outbreaks linked to six British deaths
-
The battle over the Irish language in Northern IrelandUnder the Radar Popularity is soaring across Northern Ireland, but dual-language sign policies agitate division as unionists accuse nationalists of cultural erosion
-
Israel retrieves final hostage’s body from GazaSpeed Read The 24-year-old police officer was killed during the initial Hamas attack
-
China’s Xi targets top general in growing purgeSpeed Read Zhang Youxia is being investigated over ‘grave violations’ of the law
-
Panama and Canada are negotiating over a crucial copper mineIn the Spotlight Panama is set to make a final decision on the mine this summer
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
-
US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
-
Paradise sold? The small Caribbean island courting crypto billionsUnder the Radar Crypto mogul Olivier Janssens plans to create a libertarian utopia on Nevis
-
Hong Kong court convicts democracy advocate LaiSpeed Read Former Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai was convicted in a landmark national security trial
