Group cancels protest outside school over controversial teacher Alpais Lam
Police say a group has changed its plan to protest outside a Fanling primary school against one of its teachers after she swore at officers for their handling of a street dispute, which triggered controversy.
Police say a group has changed its plan to protest outside a Fanling primary school tomorrow against one of its teachers after she swore at officers for their handling of a street dispute, which triggered controversy.
Instead, the group, which had secured police permission for the protest, will hand over a petition to the Pui Ling School of the Precious Blood, police officials said.
The group had applied on Monday to stage the rally against the teacher, Alpais Lam Wai-sze.
Police confirmed on Friday that they had received applications from two groups, which a police source described as "radically pro-establishment", to rally outside the school. The other group, which applied on Wednesday, later cancelled its planned protest.
Police have not disclosed the name of either group.
These two groups are so far the only known groups that had gained official permission to gather outside the school. Secretary for Education Eddie Ng Hak-kim said the bureau would send staff to the school on Monday to help look after its pupils.
There have been concerns that when the new academic year starts tomorrow, Lam's supporters and detractors will confront each other outside the school, causing chaos for pupils arriving for class.
A rally last month in Mong Kok by anti-Lam protesters descended into a confrontation with supporters of the teacher, whose abusive protest at police handling of a clash between supporters and critics of the Falun Gong spiritual movement went viral on the internet in July.
Leticia Lee See-yin, a leader of the Parents' Association, a pro-Beijing group, had earlier said she would not attend or encourage any protest outside the school, despite having organised the Mong Kok rally against Lam.
Lam has apologised for the trouble she has caused, though not to police. Lam used her Facebook page to ask supporters not to show up outside the school.
