Two Hong Kong students kicked out of graduation ceremony after not standing for national anthem
The social work students from Hong Kong College of Technology sat silently while March of the Volunteers played during ceremony at Ma On Shan campus
Two Hong Kong college students were kicked out of their own graduation ceremony on Saturday after refusing to stand for the national anthem.
The social work students from Hong Kong College of Technology sat silently while March of the Volunteers played during the ceremony at a Ma On Shan campus, defying a new school rule which defines disrespecting the national anthem as misconduct.
School staff cut the anthem short not long after it had begun, having noticed not everyone was standing. The two seated graduands were ordered to leave.
More than 10 students at the ceremony walked out to show support to the pair. All of the students were reportedly not awarded their certificates. The ceremony resumed after some disruption, which lasted about 20 minutes.
The president and principal of the institution, Chan Cheuk-hay, spoke to the students after the ceremony.
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One student told him: “That we sat down [during the anthem] did not mean we don’t respect the national anthem. And if we sang the song, it would not mean we loved the country.