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Protesting Hong Kong students warned they could be taking part in an illegal assembly by forming a human chain outside school

  • Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung also urges students to be aware of their own safety when joining events outside school gates
  • With ban on face coverings in place, Education Bureau has also asked schools to remind students not to wear masks on or outside campuses

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Pupils at schools across Hong Kong have held protests since the new term began. Photo: Dickson Lee

Forming a human chain outside school could constitute an unlawful assembly, Hong Kong’s education chief warned students on Friday.

Hong Kong has been rocked by four months of anti-government protests triggered by the now-withdrawn extradition bill and campuses have not been immune as hundreds of students have formed human chains outside their schools since the start of term in September.

Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung Yun-hung also urged students to take care of their own safety when joining events outside the school gates.

“[Students] also need to pay attention to who they are taking part in an event with,” he said. “Some events which were staged outside schools had many participants other than students. Some may be alumni, but some people’s identities were unknown.”

Kevin Yeung urged students to watch who they were protesting with. Photo: Felix Wong
Kevin Yeung urged students to watch who they were protesting with. Photo: Felix Wong

With a new law banning face coverings at public assemblies coming into effect last Saturday, the Education Bureau has asked schools to remind students not to wear masks on or outside campuses. They were also asked to report the number of those wearing masks to school.

Yeung defended the move, saying schools were asked to give a “rough impression” of the number of those wearing masks on Tuesday to get a picture of pupils’ emotions so as to provide suitable supportive services.

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