Letters | Hong Kong national security law: when schools succumb to self-censorship, students suffer
- Readers discuss the excessive self-censorship in Hong Kong schools, public outrage over a police appointment, how the Afghan war shed light on US foreign policy, and the best way to sustain Hong Kong’s Olympic success
Amid uncertainty related to the national security law, Hong Kong schools are reportedly pulling sensitive books off the shelves, with public libraries suspending the lending of several titles written by the city’s pro-democracy figures, for review purposes.
To avoid crossing red lines, school authorities have been taking a more cautious approach towards publications. Even world-renowned literature containing political elements, such as George Orwell’s Animal Farm, is reportedly being considered for removal.
It is pathetic to see the excessive self-censorship in some school libraries. Pulling such collections, or planning to do so, puts the core value of a library – to provide a way for people to independently discover the truth and solutions – at stake.
It is of utmost importance for young learners to be exposed to a variety of information and resources, hence training their ability to filter information and plot their way to the correct answer. Pulling certain books from the shelves may hinder students from doing so.
Given the lack of an official list of banned books and a delisting guideline, I fear the worst is yet to come, as now the schools only superficially screen the covers and titles to determine whether a book is “sensitive” or not.
