HKU students branded ‘brainwashed radicals’ by Chinese government mouthpiece People’s Daily
Official newspaper hits out at radicals who protested against decision to delay appointment; former Chinese University vice chancellor joins criticism
"Radical" University of Hong Kong students stormed a meeting of the institution's governing council last week partly because they had been "brainwashed by the opposition camp" in the city, the state-run said today.
It was the second time in five days that the overseas edition of the newspaper had condemned the students' action last Tuesday.
The university's 22-strong governing body has been divided over whether to appoint former law dean Johannes Chan Man-mun as a pro-vice-chancellor.
Since Chan's candidacy was revealed, pro-Beijing newspapers have criticised his working relationship with HKU law academic and Occupy Central co-founder Benny Tai Yiu-ting. Shortly before students stormed the meeting, the body voted down a motion to reverse its decision to delay Chan's appointment until it recruited a provost, who would supervise him.
The protesters were concerned that academic freedom was being compromised by the delay, but writer Wang Dake wrote that "radical students had completely lost rationality".
Referring to council member Professor Lo Chung-mau's knee injury during the furore, Wang wrote: "It was completely inhumane and illogical for radical students to … obstruct the injured from being taken to hospital.
"These radical students lacked [respect for the city's] law … because of their radical thinking and the opposition's 'brainwashing' and instigation, and the lack of deterrence in the sentences of similar cases in the past," Wang wrote.
"Even if Chan becomes the pro-vice-chancellor, controversies and doubts won't cease during his term … so if Chan really doesn't care about his appointment, he should [give up] his candidacy. That's the best choice to safeguard the HKU and the social consensus."
Meanwhile, Dr Lawrence Lau Juen-yee, husband of HKU council member Ayesha Macpherson, also weighed in on the controversy. In a strongly-worded article in the published today, the former Chinese University vice chancellor described the young protesters who stormed the council as "spoiled brats".
"[The storming] would raise doubts about whether Hong Kong taxpayers' money should continue to be used to coddle these self-centred [people] who have no respect and consideration for other people's freedom and rights," he wrote.
"Some penalty, such as one day in jail or 100 hours of supervised community service, would do these young people a great deal of good," Lau wrote, adding that his wife was insulted by "a mob" last Tuesday.
However, HKU student union president Billy Fung Jing-en suggested that both Wang and Lau misunderstood the situation.
Dismissing the article, Fung said: "How can [pan-democrats] manipulate students like me?"
The leader also reiterated that both local activists and HKU students protested at the Knowles Building on the university campus last Tuesday, and while it was mainly students who stormed the council's meeting room on the 10th floor; those who were protesting on the ground floor when the ambulance arrived were activists, not HKU students.
Fung reiterated that students rallied against "a problematic system", rather than in support of a particular candidate.