National security law: University of Hong Kong student union hopefuls plan cautious approach to avoid flouting Beijing-decreed legislation
- ‘We have to strike a balance between legal risks and freedom of speech’, says sole group vying to run HKU’s student union
- HKU last week cut off services to its student union amid allegations of ‘inflammatory and potentially unlawful statements’
“Defiance”, the sole contenders to run the University of Hong Kong’s (HKU) student union, also pledged on Tuesday to be more cooperative following management’s decision last week to cut off services to the body, which came two weeks after Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily described it as a “malignant tumour”.
The university’s sidelining of the union – which is independently registered under the Societies Ordinance – includes reasserting control over the body’s facilities, cutting off its access to financial services and stopping the collection of dues on its behalf.
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The management’s approach sparked fury among some students and alumni, who organised petitions against the decision.