Students at Hong Kong secondary schools form human chains as part of class boycott, with pupils at one accusing management of restricting freedom of expression
- Students at elite King’s College were joined by alumni in protest against school ban on using hall for boycott. Human chains also formed in four Tuen Mun schools
- At Lingnan University, students delivered list of demands to president, which included removing lawmaker Junius Ho from university council
Around 200 alumni and 100 pupils from the elite King’s College in Mid-Levels formed a human chain on Thursday to protest against what they saw as the school’s suppression of students’ rights.
Alumnus Sam Yip Kam-lung organised the event in collaboration with students after hearing King’s College did not grant pupils permission to use the school hall for a class boycott, and covered up the Lennon Wall that students had erected to express their views.
The class boycott was part of a citywide movement to protest against the now-withdrawn extradition bill, with students and alumni from at least two other two secondary schools also accusing school managers of limiting students’ rights earlier this week.
“We alumni think the school has violated students’ right of expression and we want to support students in exercising their freedom of expression, no matter what their political views,” Yip said.
The human chain ran almost the entire perimeter of the school grounds, from High Street to Bonham Road. Some protesters held up signs that read: “reject white terror, return freedom of expression to King’s College”.
The rally was held on Thursday morning despite Hong Kong’s leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor saying the previous day she would formally withdraw the controversial extradition bill, which triggered months of protests in the city.