School says students who join Hong Kong class boycott with parents’ permission will not be punished, after pupils protest
- Students at Chinese Foundation Secondary School in Siu Sai Wan hold silent protest on Wednesday morning
- They say school board member warned them students and staff who join strikes will be expelled or dismissed, prompting school to issue clarification
A secondary school in Siu Sai Wan has clarified that students with parents’ permission to boycott classes will not be punished, after more than 100 people protested outside campus and vandalised facilities on Wednesday morning.
The protest was staged after the students of Chinese Foundation Secondary School (CFSS) said they were warned they would be expelled if they took part in strikes to protest against the now-withdrawn extradition bill. They also said staff at the school had been told they would be dismissed if they joined the strikes.
Almost 100 CFSS pupils stood in silent protest in the playground inside the school, while about 150 alumni and students from neighbouring schools gathered outside the gate to support them.
“If a school can treat students who choose to strike like this, this can happen on other campuses,” said a Form Six pupil from Methodist Church Hong Kong Wesley College surnamed Wan.
The 17-year-old came to support his friends but also those who “share similar values” to his.
“I’m afraid we will lose freedom of expression and white terror will take over Hong Kong,” he said.