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Chinese Students Shocked Watching HKU's Removal of Pillar of Shame, Believes in Power of Witnesses

As the University of Hong Kong (#HKU) removed the Pillar of Shame without announcement durinv the night of December 22, 2021, two university students from China nearby until midnight, hoping to bear witness to history.

Wei and Wang (pseudonyms) are fourth-year Social Sciences students in HKU. They grew up in China and were educated in China's school system, only coming to Hong Kong 4 years ago to study in HKU.

They were planning to attend the university's Christmas party that night, they recounted. They were shocked when they received words that the Pillar of Shame was being destroyed, and so they rushed to the site immediately.

They said that the Pillar has great symbolic meaning to both HKU and Hong Kong itself; its removal, in turn, symbolizes the deterioration of freedom in Hong Kong.

"As long as this Pillar remains here, this university still has academic freedom. Now that it's gone, it seems that academic freedom is also gone."

The two felt the great significance of the Pillar as a memorial to the 1989 June 4th Tiananmen Massacre in Beijing. "The Pillar's existence means at least two things: one, that the incident took place; two, that we can discuss it publicly."

Now that the pillar is gone, it seems that June 4th can no longer be discussed in public. However, the two students believe that people's memory of history cannot be erased.

Growing up in China, the two students knew very little about the June 4th massacre, until they had come to Hong Kong. "Many students from China didn't even know about it before they saw the Pillar," Wei said. "After tonight, they might never get a chance at all."

The two came to study in Hong Kong for its freedom. However, after witnessing the political upheaval over the past 4 years, they felt the city is no longer free as it was in the past. They did not want to place blame for its loss. "It’s not Hong Kong to blame," said Wang. "We come to this place for freedom, and we see how people try to defend it, we don’t think Hong Kong or Hong Kong people are to blame."

The two stayed at the scene of the demolished Pillar until midnight, and they conceded that there is not much they could do as students. "But witnesses have power, to participate, to remember the thing," they said.

Source: Citizen News #Dec23
https://www.hkcnews.com/article/49522/國殤之柱-香港大學-內地留學生-49525/內地生震驚國殤之柱被拆-留守至深夜-「見證是有力量」

#June4 #PillarOfShame #JensGalschiøt #Censorship #AcademicFreedom #University

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Activists Preserve HK's Tiananmen Memorial Pillar in Digital 3D Model: "They Can't Silence Us All"

https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/31329
#Kowtow #Censorship
Universities in Hong Kong Dismantle June 4th Tiananmen Commemorative Symbols: "A Christmas Present for Beijing"

On December 24, 2021, the Management of the Hong Kong Lingnan University (#LU) removed and destroyed a commemorative relief of the 1989 June 4th Tiananmen Massacre that was installed on campus since 2010, without any notice and conscent from the students.

The action coincided with the dismantling of other commemorative statue and sculpture by two other universities in Hong Kong right before Christmas day.

According to the vice-chair of external affairs of the 43th Student Union of the Hong Kong Lingnan University, Tang Kin-Wah, the relief and the statue of the Goddess of Democracy arrived in Hong Kong in 2010. Under the coordination of the Federation of Students and the Alliance, the two commemorative structures had exhibition tour in all universities in Hong Kong, starting with the Chinese University of Hong Kong (#CUHK) and ending in the Lingnan University.

Back in 2010, after discussing with the university management, the student union at Lingnan University handed in a plan stating that they hoped to preserve the relief permanently on campus. Later on, the Student Union was allowed to restore the relief and convened a permanent installation ceremony with the help of the university management. The ownership of the relief belongs to the Student Union.

After the University managemeng secretly and forcefully removed the relief on Christmas' eve on 2021, some alumni made a trip back and placed white flower on the now-empty site. They described the act as an "assignment" that the university president Cheng Kwok-hon "turned in" to Beijing. "It is his [Cheng's] Christmas present for the Central Government at the end of 2021," the alumni mocked.

Source: InMedia #Dec24
https://bit.ly/3J9LOzn

#University #Censorship #June4th #Memory #Brainwashing

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The Pillar of Shame is being destroyed in these minutes : Jen Galschiot calls for public record
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/31702

CUHK Removes Goddess of Democracy Statue Without Warning
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/31710

Chinese Students Shocked Watching HKU's Removal of Pillar of Shame, Believes in Power of Witnesses
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/31704

CUHK Removes Goddess of Democracy Statue Without Warning
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/31710

City University of Hong Kong Demands Student Union to Remove Pro-democracy Monument
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/31730
#Resistance
Chinese Students Protest Against Removal of #TiananmenMassacre Monument at #HKU

On January 17, 2022 at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), students from China launched a flashmob protest against the university management's removal of the #PillarofShame, a monument commemorating the victims of the 1989 June 4th Tiananmen Massacre in Beijing.

The students laid flowers, handbills that read “Pillar Gone, Shame Still”, documents about the history of the pillar and red stain from dragon fruits at the original site.

Around ten security guards surrounded the area on high alert, checking journalists’ passes on the site. The guards removed the students‘ display within 2 to 3 minutes, calling the display as “pieces of trash”.

Source: InMediaHK #Jan17
https://bit.ly/3FHSRM

#NeverForget #Memory #Remembrance #University
#University
Editorial Committee of Hong Kong Baptist University's Students' Union resigns en masse due to #Censorship

Source: Luminant Hong Kong; #Jan28

Read more
⬇️⬇️⬇️
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/32064
#University
Editorial Committee of Hong Kong Baptist University's Students' Union resigns en masse due to #Censorship

On January 28, 2022, students’ Union Editorial Board of the Hong Kong Baptist University (#HKBU) revealed on Facebook that the university managenent had repeatedly interfered in students' editorial work.

The student board said the university had asked them to stop using the term “Wuhan virus” in their reports, interfered their coverage of the university’s national security curriculum, and asked them to withdraw copies of a recent issue of their student magazine, “Jumbo”.

The board accused the university of suppressing the students' publication, and announced that all its members would resign with immediate effect.

The university, meanwhile, decided to discontinue its relationship with the students' board and terminate students' rights to use all the facilities on campus. The university management claimed that they would take disciplinary action against the students concerned.

Source: Luminant Hong Kong; #Jan28
https://t.me/luminanthk/5224

#StudentUnion #PressFreedom #Resignation #HongKongStudents
#University in Hong Kong demands #StudentUnion to hand over 17 years of audit reports in 2 weeks

Source: Inmediahk; #Jan26

Read more
⬇️⬇️⬇️
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/32073
#University in Hong Kong demands #StudentUnion to hand over 17 years of audit reports in 2 weeks

The Students’ Union of the City University of Hong Kong (#CityU) said it is facing “the largest crisis since its establishment,” as the university management demanded 16 years of audit reports within two weeks and warned of possible punishment if the union did not comply.

In a statement, the student organisation said it had received a letter from the Student Development Services saying that the university was “extremely concerned about the union’s inability to provide the audit reports from 2005 to 2020.”

According to the student union the university also said it may take back its premises and stop the organisation from using “City University of Hong Kong” in its name if it failed to handover the related reports on February 5, 2022.

Acting Internal Affairs of the Student Union, Lee Chun-rui stressed that so much the Union is willing to hand over the audit report, they need more time to compile reports in past 17 years.

In distress and frustrated, Lee said he was only 5 years old, 17 years ago.

Source: Inmediahk; #Jan26
https://bit.ly/3o0Tued

#Suppression #HongKongYouth #University #PoliticalSuppression
#Brainwashing #Education
Universities in Hong Kong to Implement Courses on Modern China and National Security


Under the #NationalSecurityLaw (#NSL), educationsl institutions in Hong Kong were requested to implement national security education.

Universities like the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (#PolyU), the Hong Kong Baptist University (#HKBU), the Hong Kong Education University (#EdUHK) and the Hong Kong Lingnan University (#HKLU) have followed the government order.

Recently, the Chinese University of Hong Kong (#CUHK) has reportedly amended their core curriculum for the next academic year.

CUHK will open online courses on "Understanding China Today", and "National Security" starting from the next academic year. Each of them takes account to 1 credit.

CUHK confirms InMedia's enquiry and claimed that the new courses aimed to "strengthen students' knowledge [...] to understand national security". The courses were authorised by the University's academic council; however, no curriculum details have been revealed.

According to the documents InMedia received, the course titled "Understanding China Today" touched upon the modernization of China and technological development, in addition to Chinese culture and history. In addition to national security education, other online courses cover positive psychology and modern language. Each of the course takes account to 1 credit.

The University called it "Service Learning" and requires students to take at least one of thrse 1-credit courses.

CUHK replies to InMedia that the university would launcb national security education in accordance with Article 10 of the NSL. The university also said that they have already rolled out a number of policies and activities to "increase students' national belonging". Orientation activities include theme talks about national security and media literacy; courses contain a talk regarding "international circumstances and China's diplomacy"; graduates career workshops consist of #BasicLaw.

Source: Inmedia #Jan18
https://bit.ly/3nwAVhB

#Propaganda #Regime #University
#StudentsUnion #Rights #FreedomOfSpeech
“Resist till the end”: Hong Kong Student Union vow to carry on the fight for student rights and academic freedom

The Student Development Services of City University (#CUHK) in Hong Kong has demanded its Student Union to vacate and return its premises by February 14, claiming that the union failed to comply with a request to submit 16 years of audited financial records within two weeks.

On February 14, representatives of the student union executive committee staged a parting ceremony before returning the office space. They marched from the office to Cut Price, a store run by the student union which offered stationery, snacks and other items to CityU students at a discounted price.

Using a calligraphy brush, a student wrote the phrases “freedom of thought,” “academic autonomy,” “[we will] not yield a single step” and “resist till the end” at the store entrance.

The march ended at the “democracy wall,” a message board previously used by students to share their views on political events. Next to the wall was the Goddess of Democracy statue, a monument commemorating Beijing’s military crackdown on a student-led democracy movement in Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989.

Some students pushed over the red barricades surrounding the wall to put up memo stickers with final messages to the student union.

“Thank you, student union,” one note read.

Another one read: “Grateful that we have walked together for 37 years. Add oil, hang in there!”

Source: Inmediahk, HKFP, CityU Students Union Facebook; #Feb14
https://www.facebook.com/387603714763860/posts/1841380409386176/

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The 7th University in Hong Kong ceases recognition of its Students’ Union
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/32096
.
PolyU becomes fifth Hong Kong university to fully cut ties with #Students’Union

//The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (#PolyU) has cut ties with its students’ union, becoming the fifth university to order its student body to vacate campus premises since the implementation of the #NationalSecurityLaw.

In an email sent to the union on Friday, the university said that it had repeatedly requested the union to sign an Acknowledgement of Compliance since 2013, according to former PolyU students’ union chief Alan Wu. The acknowledgement required the student body to abide by certain terms and conditions to use the university name.

The university ordered the 28-year-old students’ union to cease using the university name and using university resources, and to vacate campus premises by July 15, 2022.//

Read more:
https://hongkongfp.com/2022/04/19/polyu-becomes-third-hong-kong-university-to-fully-cut-ties-with-students-union/

Source: Hong Kong Free Press #Apr19

#University #Censorship
Student Councils of 8 universities in Hong Kong: reassembly, moving out and negotiating with the school — what is left under restricting circumstances

Among the 8 universities in Hong Kong, 4 have already publicly refused to recognise their respective student councils, 6 have reclaimed spaces in which the councils used to station, and the remaining students councils of 2 universities, although are still given chances to stay within the campus, are required to collect membership fee on their own, leaving them vulnerable to financial crisis.

Before the school year commences, inmediahk interviewed the current- and ex-members of student councils from all these 8 universities, to review the past year, how their relationships with the school have shifted, and to talk about the situation they are in at the moment.

As tough as the reality can be, it is not sufficient to break these members’ spirits. Some said they wanted to reassembly the student council, that they would ‘survive despite the darkness around us’; some said they would strive their best to ‘hang onto the “students-autonomy” principle’, to ‘fight for better policies’, to ‘shed their last bit of tears’; some said they didn’t mind being called the ‘welfare society’, as long as they could secure the council itself, that they just wanted the council to ‘still be there when they graduate, or even a few years after’.

Source: Inmedia #Sep03

https://bit.ly/3RykEWk

#Student #Councils #University #HongKong
Is there any student union still existing in Hong Kong?

#StudentUnion #University #GoHKgraphics