‘No bottom line’: new Chinese University student leaders say they will resort to violence if majority want it
Ernie Chow, leader of Hong Kong independence activist group Spark, says ‘fighting with force’ can put pressure on government
Pain is inevitable when it comes to revolution, said the newly elected leaders of Chinese University’s student union, a group of localism supporters, who vowed there would be “no bottom line” when “fighting with force”.
Spark, an activist group that advocates independence for Hong Kong, received 61 per cent of the votes, winning the election on Sunday.
Spark leader Ernie Chow Shue-fung said on a radio programme on Monday that expressing one’s views via traditional and rational means had lost effectiveness over the years, and society should not limit new measures to pressure the administration directly.
READ MORE: Hong Kong independence activists elected to head Chinese University’s student union
“If we are still demonstrating and singing on a random Sunday ... Chief Executive Leung Chung-ying won’t listen to us and compromise ... Fighting with force can put pressure on the government,” Chow said.
“If it is the wish of the majority of students, there is no bottom line for this. I do not deny there will be occasional pain during revolution,” he added.
However, incoming University of Hong Kong student union president Althea Suen, who also supported the city’s independence, drew the line there and expressed a different view on the show.
“HKU student union will not provoke our fellows to attack other people. We do not harm others. That’s our bottom line,” Suen said.
READ MORE: New HKU student leader Althea Suen says independence is ‘viable way’ for Hong Kong
Chow said the Occupy movement in 2014, during which traffic was paralysed and the government headquarters were occupied, proved its success in terms of pressuring the government.
A member of Spark was arrested after the Mong Kok riot two weeks ago. When asked about his views on the protesters who threw bricks and set fires during the Mong Kok clashes, Chow said such actions were very common in other countries.
Do you want to see our city turn brutal? It is not fair to compare. Why don’t you compare with ISIS then?
Chow also said that whether the student group would turn to violence or not would depend on what the students wanted.
“We are not a political group nor [are we] politicians. We act upon the students’ support and approval, otherwise it is very irresponsible. If they support bringing it to another level, that means they think it is correct.”
An audience member, Mr Lau, described the thinking of the two students as “dangerous”, and said Chow should not compare Hong Kong to other countries.
“Do you want to see our city turn brutal? It is not fair to compare. Why don’t you compare with ISIS then?” he said.
Out of 3,895 validated votes, Spark won 2,372, beating opponent team Illuminant by more than 800 votes, though voter turnout was only 23 per cent.
