Groups condemn offensive poster at EdUHK

Parent-teacher associations in 15 districts and professional groups of education workers on Thursday condemned an offensive and highly insensitive poster displayed at the Hong Kong Education University campus.

The poster ridicules a Hong Kong official whose son died earlier on Thursday.

The Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers issued a statement on Thursday night, saying it deplored the poster which appeared on a campus billboard at the EdUHK.

The poster targets Under Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin. It gloats over the fact that Choi lost her son — who died around noon on Thursday.

The Federation of ParentTeacher Associations issued a similar statement condemning the poster. The two federations expressed disgust at the “cold-blooded act” which only inflicted more pain on a grieving family.

The people who produced the poster showed no respect or compassion for Choi’s family, the federations’ statements said. Those responsible should apologize to Choi, her family and the public.

The federations urged the EdUHK authorities to investigate the incident and then take serious disciplinary action.

The federations stressed that students from the university were trained to become teachers. They are expected to set a good example to young people. “But how could society have any faith in people responsible for something so deeply offensive?” they asked.

The statements also said the university authorities should re-evaluate management of the billboard space, commonly known at local universities as the “Democracy Wall”.

EdUHK President Stephen Cheung Yan-leung expressed outrage at the banner, saying it was a disgraceful act, which went beyond the lowest standard of human decency.

Saddened by such a pointless turn of events on Thursday, Cheung extended his sincere apologies to Choi and her family. He said the university is investigating the matter and vowed to handle it rigorously, leaving no room to excuse such deplorable behavior.