Graduation ceremonies at two Hong Kong universities disrupted by masked students, with one event halted and the other delayed
- Disputes break out at Chinese University as man claiming to be mainland student arrested after waving knife at protesters
- Students dash on stage at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, with one shouting slogan in front of president
Graduation ceremonies at two Hong Kong universities were disrupted by masked students stressing the demands of anti-government protesters on Thursday, with one event abruptly halted and the other delayed.
One of the institutions, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), where masked students dashed onto the stage twice, said it “condemned” students’ behaviour, adding it would investigate and decide if follow-up action was needed.
At Chinese University (CUHK), students chanted slogans to drown out the national anthem as it was being played at the beginning of its shortened ceremony, with a man, 20, who claimed to be a mainland student arrested after he brandished a knife at protesters.
Hong Kong has been in the grip of anti-government protests since June, sparked by the now-withdrawn extradition bill. Among some 3,000 people arrested amid the unrest, about a third are students, mostly from tertiary institutions and secondary schools.
The ceremony at CUHK ended immediately after degrees were conferred by president Rocky Tuan Sung-chi because of “special circumstances”, according to its spokeswoman.
“Verbal disputes broke out between those with different opinions, graffiti was sprayed on the campus and there were disruptions while the ceremony was taking place,” she said. “Therefore after awarding all the degrees, the university decided to suspend the ceremony immediately.”