Protest marches happen so frequently in Hong Kong that it is sometimes referred to as "city of protests". There is no question that protest marches have been a common way for local residents to express their opinions and protected as an individual freedom by the Basic Law. A procession of more than 1,000 people held at noon on Sunday is a perfect example of peaceful and orderly demonstration conducted according to law that respected the rights of bystanders as well as that of the protesters. Another one held after dark the same day, however, demonstrated the exact opposite of lawful behavior, as the organizers not only failed to apply for police permission beforehand but also deliberately disrupted traffic by cutting into the road and occupying a whole lane despite police efforts to maintain order.

Hong Kong is a city under the rule of law, which is one of local society's core values. It is very worrying and unfortunate that this core value has been repeatedly challenged by certain parties on purpose in recent months and undoubtedly shaken public confidence in the rule of law. The unruly demonstration in Central on Sunday night is one such illegal act.

To ensure public order and the rule of law relevant authorities should bring those lawbreakers to justice according to the Public Order Ordinance as well as maintaining order at the scene. Otherwise such unlawful behavior will only grow to jeopardize the rule of law.

The fact is, a number of such violations have been prosecuted in a court of law over the years and the presiding judge in each case explained clearly what is legal and what is not. In the most recent case of this nature, the presiding judge made it absolutely clear that anyone who breaks the law must be punished regardless of the opinion he/she was expressing when he/she violated the law. In a word, nobody is above the law and individual freedoms cannot override the law.

Freedom of expression, assembly and procession is protected by law, but that does not mean one can infringe upon other people's rights in the name of individual freedom. It is every Hong Kong resident's responsibility to protect the rule of law and thwart any attempt to weaken it.

This is an excerpted translation of a Hong Kong Commercial Daily editorial published on May 27.

(HK Edition 05/28/2013 page1)