Hong Kong protests: peaceful Friday turns violent again as government issues warning to employees and university chiefs call for end to deadlock
- Heads of Hong Kong’s nine universities issue joint statement calling on both sides to end bitter conflict that has moved onto campuses around the city
- Government warns 180,000 employees they face immediate suspension if arrested while taking part in unlawful public activities
The Hong Kong government has taken the unprecedented step of warning 180,000 employees they will face immediate suspension and other disciplinary action if they are arrested taking part in unlawful public activities.
The announcement came as violent protests ground the city to a halt for a fifth straight day, causing widespread disruptions and a rising number of casualties.
With several campuses occupied by masked protesters, the heads of the nine public universities on Friday night for the first time issued a joint statement, calling on both sides to end the conflict.
By Friday night, those occupying the Chinese University of Hong Kong had apparently pulled out, but some masked radicals stayed inside the campus of Polytechnic University and the University of Hong Kong.
In a letter addressed to all public servants on Friday, Secretary for the Civil Service Joshua Law Chi-kong said the government had “zero tolerance” for any of its employees joining illegal assemblies or breaching the anti-mask law.
“It would be difficult for the community to accept a civil servant under arrest being allowed to continue to exercise powers and resume functions of office. We will suspend the officer’s duty in the public interest once an inquiry against him is undertaken,” Law wrote.