Hong Kong teachers ‘stop pupils from handing out’ pro-independence fliers
Organiser of campus campaign says groups in at least 10 city schools restarted advocacy for breakaway from China
Student activists’ revival of a citywide campaign to promote Hong Kong’s separation from China on Tuesday drew responses from police and education authorities, with a school halting pupils from handing out pro-independence materials near its campus.
One of the two was Caritas Institute of Higher Education in Tseung Kwan O, according to the Facebook page of a pro-independence group affiliated with pupils at the school.
After classes let out, pupils from several schools came together to mend two street booths where they had handed out their materials to passers-by.
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The group included organiser Studentlocalism convenor Tony Chung Hon-lam from Buddhist Mau Fung Memorial College, located in Tin Shui Wai.
A plain-clothes police officer at the site marked down the personal information of the pupils as well as those of two Post journalists covering the event.
He also monitored the event, which ended peacefully after an hour with no scuffles.
The activities drew mixed reactions from passers-by, with some declaring support for independence, some ignoring the pupils, and a middle-aged man questioning those distributing fliers about their activities.
Police presence could also be felt at a booth in Kwun Tong and a venue in Wan Chai, which was cancelled. The convenor of the campaign’s other organiser, Hong Kong National Front, explained the cancellation was due to students backing out at the last minute.
A police spokesman said the force would deal with any act that might constitute a criminal offence under the law.
Earlier, pupils from 10 secondary schools handed out pro-independence fliers and stickers at school entrances before classes began.
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The Front’s convenor said two pupils at Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Lo Kon Ting Memorial College in Yuen Long, a government-funded school, were told by a teacher and the school principal to stop after they had distributed most of their materials.
A TWGH spokeswoman said that while the school-sponsoring body did not agree with independence for Hong Kong, it respected “students’ right to express their opinions”.
But she added these views must be expressed in a way that did not affect the school’s educational principles and teaching. Promoting any political message on campus was inappropriate, she said.
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The spokeswoman added that pupils had to follow school rules while on campus, and should consult their parents on activities outside school.
However, most educators the Post spoke to acknowledged it was difficult to determine whether school entrances were considered part of campuses or not.
Studentlocalism posted pictures on Facebook of pupils holding fliers near their schools, without showing the face of the students or naming the schools. It only identified their districts in broad terms, such as Sha Tin and Kwai Chung.
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Unlike a similar leaflet campaign in September last year, which fizzled after schools warned the activists to stop, the new fliers stated that an independent Hong Kong was the only way to protect Hongkongers. Earlier fliers were less direct, encouraging pupils to think about Hong Kong’s future after 2047 – when Beijing’s promise of a high degree of autonomy for the city is set to expire – and proposing independence as an option.
Education sector lawmaker Ip Kin-yuen said activists should not use schools as a platform to promote individual political views and urged them to stop the movement.
“We hope that pupils can learn under a peaceful and safe environment without interference,” he said.
The spokesman added the bureau trusted the professionalism of schools in handling political matters and would provide support for them according to the situation.
He also said that “one country, two systems” was the best institutional arrangement to ensure Hong Kong’s long-term prosperity and stability “after our return to the Motherland”. He was referring to the model under which China has governed the city after its handover from British rule in 1997.
“Everybody with a passion for Hong Kong has the responsibility to ensure that, here in Hong Kong, one country, two systems advances in the right direction, the obligation to say ‘no’ to any attempt to threaten our country’s sovereignty, security and development interests, as well as the duty to nurture our next generation into citizens with a sense of national identity, affection for Hong Kong and a sense of social responsibility,” the spokesman added.
