City University students guard anti-national-education graffiti
A group of 20 City University students stood guard last night over anti-national-education slogans that the university administration threatened to wash away.
The Chinese characters were painted on tiles at the university's concourse during a rally on Wednesday, when 400 staff and students gathered to call on the government to completely withdraw the controversial subject, rather than leaving individual schools to decide whether to teach it.
The slogans read: "Freedom of thought. Academic autonomy. Never give in. Resist to the end."
Activist Gil Lee Chak-man said: "We want the slogans to remain as a testament to our university's commitment to defending freedom in Hong Kong."
The 23-year-old is a member of the City University Alliance against National Education, a coalition of 40 staff and student groups organising the demonstrations.
In an internal memo circulated among staff, the university said the protesters had "used paint that gave off offensive fumes to write 16 giant Chinese characters … causing potential damage to university property".
The students said the university, which gave them three days from Friday to clear the writing, had not responded to their invitation to discuss the matter.