Global Times chief calls for Hong Kong University of Science and Technology boycott over attack on mainland student
- Tabloid’s editor-in-chief calls for mainlanders to shun university unless it condemns attack during row between groups of students
- Clashes broke out during event to discuss fall of 22-year-old Chow Tsz-lok, who later died from his injuries
The editor-in-chief of a Chinese state tabloid has called for mainland students to boycott the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology unless it condemns an attack on a student during a campus event on Wednesday.
The incident happened during a forum to address the circumstances of the fall suffered by 22-year-old HKUST student Chow Tsz-lok, who died from his injuries on Friday.
In Wednesday’s incident the mainland student, identified as Zheng Candi in media reports, was hit on the forehead during a clash between rival camps of students.
In total four students were injured, one of whom was taken away in a wheelchair.
Live-stream video footage broadcast on the portal HK01 shows Zheng walking past a group of masked student protesters holding signs near the stage. He then knocked into a black-clad protester, who fell to the floor.
An angry crowd then surrounded him, yelling abuse and hitting him on the head repeatedly, as three staff members tried to calm the situation.