Federation of Students suffers biggest split in 57-year history as HKU quits over Occupy
Vote to leave group - the most significant split in its history - was sparked by 'localist' movement that supports HK independence
Hong Kong's oldest and most politically influential student body, which organised the sit-ins that acted as a catalyst for last year's Occupy turmoil, suffered the most significant split in its 57-year history yesterday when one of its biggest bloc of members voted to leave.
University of Hong Kong students voted narrowly in favour of quitting the Hong Kong Federation of Students in a referendum sparked by a groundswell of support for the so-called localist movement, which to varying degrees supports Hong Kong independence and believes the federation's core mission to "build a democratic China" diminishes its ability to represent the interests of the city.
The referendum took place amid concerns of possible tension between local and mainland students on campus.
This month a state-backed newspaper claimed there was a "McCarthyite trend" of criticism against mainland student Eugenia Yip, who was running in student-union elections at the university. Yip lost her bid to become the union's social secretary yesterday. The Global Times was referring to Joseph McCarthy's infamous anti-communist crusades in 1950s America.
Yip did not respond when approached for comment.
Calls to leave the federation have been mounting since the Occupy protests against Beijing's restrictions over Hong Kong's constitutional reform late last year, with some students disgruntled by the federation's handling of the sit-ins.
HKU students Alex Chow Yong-kang and Yvonne Leung Lai-kwok were among the leaders of the movement.