Director of Public Prosecutions Maggie Yang on Sunday said words can be used as weapons, and warned that people will be held legally accountable for words that incite others to commit serious offences.

Speaking on the RTHK programme "NSL Chronicles II", Yang cited the case of the first person in Hong Kong charged under the national security law – Tong Ying-kit – who was jailed for nine years after driving a motorcycle into a group of police officers in Wan Chai during protests in 2020.

“Many people may think it is a traffic violation, but we need to look at it comprehensively or what effect he wanted to produce. When you ride a motorcycle and display a flag, it is obvious that you want to attract an audience or attract people to read your banner, especially your slogan,” she said.

She also commented on another case, in which former food delivery worker Ma Chun-man was found guilty of inciting secession for chanting pro-independence slogans in public.

“Besides setting up street booths, he also expressed his thoughts online. It is obvious that there are situations of advocating Hong Kong independence, and he even said that his actions were not illegal – these are misleading to the public,” she explained.

Yang cited relevant court rulings, saying that social media has a vast reach and if it is used to spread messages of incitement, secession, or Hong Kong independence, it will result in severe criminal consequences.

She said that cases of violating the Hong Kong national security law are severely punished, and called on young people to recognise the facts and cherish their future, instead of challenging the law.