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Benny Tai Yiu-ting
Hong KongPolitics

Campaign to oust me akin to Cultural Revolution: Occupy co-founder Benny Tai

His comment comes as legislator Junius Ho continues to press HKU to dismiss the law lecturer

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Benny Tai Yiu-ting is the co-founder of the 2014 Occupy movement. Photo: Edward Wong
Ng Kang-chung
The co-founder of Hong Kong’s 2014 Occupy movement, controversial law lecturer Benny Tai Yiu-ting, has likened a pro-establishment lawmaker’s campaign against him to the decade-long Cultural Revolution in China.

On Tuesday Tai, an academic from the University of Hong Kong, said in a Facebook post that he had never thought the 1966 revolution would happen in the city, yet it was “really taking place”, and he was “going to be a victim”.

Tai’s comments came as legislator Junius Ho Kwan-yiu stepped up pressure on the university to sack him for “lawbreaking under the name of civil disobedience”.

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Lawmaker Junius Ho Kwan-yiu. Photo: Dickson Lee
Lawmaker Junius Ho Kwan-yiu. Photo: Dickson Lee

Ho, who had secured the support of over 80,000 people in an earlier online campaign to gather signatures, is organising a rally on Sunday to push for Tai’s dismissal. As many as 2,000 people are expected to join.

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“How has Hong Kong degenerated into such a position?” Tai said in the post. “In the face of the looming Cultural Revolution, you may become the next victim if you do not voice your opposition now.”

The Cultural Revolution was a sociopolitical movement that took place in China from 1966 to 1976. Its goal was to purge capitalist elements in society. Throughout those violent and tumultuous years, millions of people were persecuted across the country.

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