Standing in line on Tuesday was Lee Yue-shun, one of the two defendants acquitted. He told reporters he wanted to urge Hongkongers to “raise questions” about the case, as “everyone has a chance to be affected” by its outcome.

There were several activists waiting to enter court. Bobo Lam, who was once arrested under the NSL, said he was showing up to support friends who are now in jail and “let them know, that there are still many HongKongers who haven’t forgotten them”. Others seemed heartened by how many people had showed up, suggesting they “remember what happened”.

An elderly woman, Regina Fung, chanted “everybody hang in there, stand for Hong Kong” before the hearing. “It’s very sad, even the weather in Hong Kong is miserable today,” she said.

Inside the courtroom, family members and friends waved from the public gallery to the defendants, who appeared calm as they sat in the dock. Some in the gallery had tears in their eyes as the sentences, ranging from four to 10 years, were read out.

Tai, a former law professor who came up with the plan for the unofficial primary, received the longest sentence with judges saying he had “advocated for a revolution”.

Wong had his sentence reduced by a third after he pleaded guilty. But unlike some other defendants, he was not given further reductions as judges “did not consider him to be a person of good character”. At the time of the arrests, Wong was already in jail for participating in protests.

In court, Wong shouted “I love Hong Kong” before he left the dock.

As Leung’s wife, activist Chan Po-ying, walked out of the court at the end of the hearing, she was heard chanting a protest against his jail term.