The thousands of ministers, wonks and hacks who descended on Hong Kong last week have all now left, even those who stayed on after the WTO ministerial to scale Victoria Peak or, in the case of the Daily Telegraph's Beijing correspondent, to seek out Brussels sprouts for Christmas dinner.

But spare a thought for the 14 protesters - 11 Koreans, one Chinese, one Taiwanese and one Japanese - who have been charged with illegal assembly. The other 944 protesters arrested after last Saturday's demonstrations have been released; most have returned home. The remaining 14 will face trial and have found legal advice. A protest, it seems, is not just for Christmas.