Hong Kong protests: teachers who criticised government on social media say they are living in fear

A teacher says mere expression of personal feelings about prevailing political situation among friends on social media may also prove costly

Primary school teacher and pro-democracy district councillor Law Pei-lee terms it white terror, though Education Bureau says it handles each case carefully

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Teachers and their supporters at an anti-government protest at Edinburgh Place in Central. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

Published: 11:00am, 10 Feb 2020Updated: 4:27pm, 10 Feb 2020

When Charlie Chow posted criticisms of the government on Facebook during the extradition bill protests last summer, the teacher did not foresee the problems they would present several months later.

Chow, who agreed to speak only using a pseudonym, was among 32 teachers penalised by the Education Bureau between June and December last year – either with warning, condemnation and advisory letters, or verbal reminders. The letters warned them if they were to commit professional misconduct again, they risked losing their jobs.

The latest available figures from the bureau showed that out of 147 complaints received between June and December, wrongdoing had been confirmed in 65. Some 32 cases have been closed, with follow-up actions taken.

Teachers protest against the Education Bureau’s handling of protest-related cases in Hong Kong on January 3. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

Chow recalled the complainer had written a letter directly to the bureau. The complainer’s identity has not been revealed.

“When I wrote the comments, I was merely expressing some of my feelings about the prevailing political situation, but the complainer saw it differently and felt it was inappropriate,” Chow said.