CE condemns separatist slogans on campus
Freedom of speech has its limits and academic independence should not be used as an excuse to advocate fallacies.”
Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor
Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor on Friday condemned the “Hong Kong independence” slogans which were displayed in the city’s universities, saying such remarks violated the country’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and development interests.
“‘Hong Kong independence’ runs against the ‘one country, two systems’ principle and the Basic Law as well as the overall and long-term interest of society,” emphasized Lam.
She also denounced a poster at the Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK), which gloated over the death of the eldest son of the city’s under secretary for education. She said such remarks were “entirely disrespectful, against the moral values of society and cold-blooded”.
Describing the incidents at the universities as “having overstepped the bottom line of society”, Lam stressed that freedom of speech had its limits and academic independence should not be used as an excuse to advocate fallacies.
She urged the university administrations to take timely and appropriate action to handle the incidents and appealed to society to join forces to “rectify such abuse of freedom of speech” in order to safeguard the city’s core values and defend moral standards.
Lam made the remarks one day after a group of Chinese University of Hong Kong students and alumni on Thursday voiced strong objections to the university student union’s separatist advocacy on campus.
Slogans that advocated “Hong Kong independence” were spotted in various locations inside the CUHK campus after a new semester started, and were soon removed by school authorities.
Lam’s remarks also came after an offensive poster was found on a public billboard at the EdUHK which ridiculed the death of Under Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin’s son, who died after jumping off a high-rise in Jordan, Kowloon, at about noon on Thursday.
Echoing Lam on a separate occasion, Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung Yun-hung said displays in public areas should be “morally sound and legal”.
He noted that the Education Bureau is against the “independence” fallacies and students should not waste time discussing such issues as it is against the Basic Law.
The city’s education head also stressed that moral and legal issues should be taken into consideration while people exercise freedom of speech.
The city’s academic and legal sectors also expressed strong criticism of the illegal and insensitive remarks that appeared in universities.
Lau Siu-kai, sociologist and former top adviser to the Hong Kong SAR Government, said some of the students took advantage of the tolerant and relatively relaxed environment on campus to advocate illegal fallacies or post taunting messages that have crossed the society’s bottom line, which would in return backfire as in the recent incidents.