Scholarism encouraging students to take part in one-day classroom boycott
Scholarism members distribute fliers to secondary pupils encouraging them to skip class in protest over Beijing's political reform framework
Members of the pro-democracy student activist group Scholarism began handing out fliers outside secondary schools yesterday to promote their plan for a one-day boycott of classes.
But many pupils - although supportive of both the boycott and Occupy Central as a way of fighting for full democracy - doubted the effectiveness of the action and indicated that they probably would not take part.
Scholarism members distributed fliers near schools in Mid-Levels, North Point and Kwai Chung from 7.30am to 8am before the school day began.
Group founder Joshua Wong Chi-fung said he wanted to promote understanding of public nomination and civil disobedience among secondary pupils and encourage them to join the boycott of classes in the middle or at the end of this month.
But Wong's messages got a lukewarm reception from pupils. Many at King's College, where Wong was distributing fliers outside, said they would not join the boycott.
Edison Lee, 16, said he felt it would not change the central government's stance on control of candidate nomination for the 2017 chief executive election. He believed a better course would be to accept the reform framework laid down first and improve it gradually with popular pressure.