Hong Kong protests: two schools pledge not to expel arrested pupils, following lead of other institutions

Two secondary schools in Hong Kong have pledged not to expel pupils arrested during anti-government protests on Sunday, taking a similar stance to two other institutions whose students were shot by police and arrested earlier this month.

That came as more than 100 students and alumni formed a human chain to protest against a “black mask ban” at a secondary school, ignoring the Education Bureau chief’s warning last week that such acts “could constitute unlawful assembly”.

In another weekend of violence and vandalism in various areas across Hong Kong, at least 26 people, mostly secondary school students, were arrested in Fanling on Sunday, according to North district councillor Chan Yuk-ming.

Chan said the pupils arrested were from at least four schools and most had not been granted bail as of Monday afternoon. All were receiving legal help and none had reported any unfair treatment by police, he said.

One of those arrested was a Form Six student from Christian Alliance SW Chan Memorial College in Fanling, the school confirmed on Monday. Principal Kwong Wing-sun visited the teen at North District Hospital along with his parents on Sunday night.