Top Hong Kong school St Paul’s Co-educational College warns pupils against anti-government protests at campus

Governors at one of Hong Kong’s top schools have warned pupils who organised protests at the campus in recent months that at least one of the events was illegal and they may face disciplinary action.

The council of St Paul’s Co-educational College, a prestigious secondary school under the city’s Anglican church, also said students who join unlawful assemblies either in or outside school would be violating school rules and should refrain from “using the school” to promote their political views.

More than 150 students and alumni from the school in Mid-Levels staged a peaceful sit-in outside campus last week to protest against management’s decision to bar all campus events expressing political views. Earlier, on September 9, more than 100 pupils and alumni joined a human chain outside school to show support for the anti-government protest movement which has gripped the city for more than four months.

In a letter to parents on Wednesday, the council said the school “had been disturbed over the past few months with anonymous and open letters, as well as disorderly activities of some students singing and chanting noisily in school”, while students “had been encouraged” to join a human chain and a sit-in.

“The school was particularly concerned that the sit-in immediately outside the school last Monday involved a group of more than 50 protesters and moreover, included some students in school uniform wearing masks,” the letter read. “Although this event was relatively peaceful, it was illegal under the current laws in Hong Kong. It was fortunate that no students were arrested.”

It went on to say that students who joined illegal public protests or assemblies in and outside school would be “breaching school regulations”, and that no one should use the school as a platform to “promote or propagate” their political views. Pupils who breached school rules would be disciplined, the letter added.

The school’s council is chaired by former pupil Moses Cheng Mo-chi, who is also chairman of the Insurance Authority. Other members include Reverend Canon Peter Koon Ho-ming, provincial secretary general of the Anglican church, and principal Poon Siu-chi.

Earlier this month, Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung Yun-hung warned students that forming human chains outside school could amount to unlawful assembly.

A Form Six student at St Paul’s and member of the school’s pro-democracy student concern group said he was surprised by the council’s letter, which he said took a “threatening” tone towards students. A lot of students could be at risk of disciplinary action as many had participated in the events mentioned, he said.

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Although he said September’s human chain was mainly organised by alumni and the concern group only helped, he believed students would not be deterred and would continue to hold political events in or outside school if needed.

An alumnus who helped coordinate the human chain event said she felt disappointed that the council had taken “an extremely wrong step” which would “cause tremendous division and emotional trauma to students”.

She said whether another human chain happens in future would depend on students’ and alumni’s reactions.

“We will really ensure our event does not put our students at risk,” she said. “[But] I just feel kind of melancholic that my alma mater has gone that low.”

The college did not reply to a Post request for comment, but a source said principals and supervisors of schools under the Anglican Church would meet Archbishop Paul Kwong and others during a sharing session in early November to discuss “effectively providing pastoral care for students”, where social issues might also be touched on.

Schools had been allowed to handle matters internally, the source added, but stressed that the upcoming sharing session “had nothing to do” with the letter to parents, as the meeting had been planned “a while ago”.