Hong Kong university chiefs condemn acts of violence and terror, hours after student leaders quit and apologise over controversial July 1 attack motion
- Chairmen of university governing councils also call for an end to spread of hate and violence, and urge students and staff to uphold proper values
- Members of University of Hong Kong student union executive committee resign, saying they let their peers down over resolution
The chairmen of the universities’ governing councils also called for an end to the spread of hate and violence, and urged students and staff to uphold proper values.
The controversial motion had been approved on Wednesday by 30 representatives of the University of Hong Kong Students’ Union Council, but its executive committee made a quick U-turn after a series of tough messages from HKU’s management, with the Security Bureau and the city’s education minister also joining the condemnation on Thursday.
The university chiefs’ statement said it was “particularly regrettable” that some members of the community had attempted to legitimise and even glorify such acts of violence as the July 1 attack.
“These acts are an affront to the law. They go beyond the norms of public decency, morality and value, seriously undermine law and order, and damage Hong Kong as a law-abiding society,” it said.
“We call on all to stop spreading hate and violence, and to cease glorifying acts of violence. All university stakeholders have a duty to stop extreme thinking, and to distance themselves from violence, and instead adopt proper values.”