Students vow to camp out and protect Hong Kong independence banners after removal threat
Chinese University president issues ultimatum over independence slogans, while heads of all 10 schools in city condemn ‘abuses’ of free speech
The row over signs on university campuses advocating independence for Hong Kong took a turn for the worse on Friday, with the head of Chinese University giving an ultimatum to the student union to take them down and defiant students digging in for a showdown.
At the same time, the heads of the city’s 10 universities issued a joint statement to decry “abuses” of freedom of speech on campus, but stopped short of condemning independence advocacy.
Chinese University president Joseph Sung Jao-yiu made it clear that the institution was “against the notion” of Hong Kong splitting from China and such discussions were not welcome on campus.
“Freedom of speech is a cornerstone of the university. That is not to say that the exercise of this freedom should be boundless,” he said. “We do not want our campus turned into a place for different political groups to spread their propaganda.”
Sung urged the student union to remove the materials in question or face having the university management take them down.