Independence banners fly on Hong Kong campus on first day of academic year
Signs marked the most overt form of defiance just two months after President Xi Jinping warned Hong Kong not to cross the “red line” of undermining Chinese sovereignty
The controversial issue of Hong Kong independence made a high-profile comeback on Monday despite Beijing’s stern warnings in recent months, as banners advocating it surfaced on the Chinese University campus overnight.
Designed for maximum impact as Monday was the start of the new academic year, the signs marked the most overt form of defiance just two months after President Xi Jinping warned Hong Kong not to cross the “red line” of undermining Chinese sovereignty.
Xi Jinping sends warning to advocates of Hong Kong independence but offers pan-democrats hope of better relations
No individual or group claimed responsibility. University staff later removed the pro-independence banners and a string of posters, prompting accusations from the students’ union of censorship and a curb on free discussion of the subject.
On the same day the banners went up, the union had put up a black and white striped banner featuring a list of “Hong Kong political prisoners” to voice support for 16 activists who were jailed for their involvement in two protests.
Three weeks ago, the city’s appeal court ruled in favour of the government’s bid to throw them behind bars, including student leader Joshua Wong Chi-fung who co-led the Occupy movement in 2014.