Benny Tai is abusing freedom of speech in Hong Kong, and HKU should rethink his tenure

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A rioter gets ready with bricks, as fires burn during clashes between protesters and police, in Mong Kok in February 2016. Hong Kong cannot rest easy in the belief that protests are always peaceful in the city. Photo: AP

Published: 3:31pm, 11 Apr 2018Updated: 12:35pm, 15 Oct 2020

To many, Benny Tai Yiu-ting may seem to lack common sense when he invites people to consider Hong Kong independence in the future. Indeed, his words have provoked many Chinese patriots, including myself.

Mr Tai simply relies on the freedom of speech guaranteed by our Basic Law as his excuse, but he is blatantly abusing the freedom of speech.

From a moral perspective, he is being irresponsible in peddling the idea of separating Hong Kong from mainland China. We have seen violence arising out of independence campaigns around the world: take Northern Ireland, where the IRA caused great bloodshed.

Two years ago, we in Hong Kong experienced the Mong Kok riot, where radicals threw bricks at police. This could have cost lives. Bear in mind that it was a violent protest with Hong Kong independence advocacy.

Four things Benny Tai should know about ‘free speech’ and the clash of freedoms

Now people are gravely concerned, as Tai is still an academic, a tenured professor at the University of Hong Kong. Every day, he could be encouraging his students to learn the wrongful idea of Hong Kong independence. More importantly, what if our next generation is incited to practise independence advocacy on all fronts?

Independence and separatism will bring about hatred, hatred will incite violence