Hong Kong university suspends student union after calls for fire justice
A university in Hong Kong has suspended the activities of its student union after a message expressing condolences and calling for justice for the victims of a massive fire was published on campus.
Last week’s fire at Wang Fuk Court in the city’s northern Tai Po district killed at least 159 people and became the world’s deadliest residential fire since 1980.
Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) told AFP on Friday that it had ordered the student union’s executive committee to suspend its activities “with immediate effect until further notice”.
“Only a small percentage of HKBU students are (union) members. Additionally, the Committee has shown no willingness to comply with the University’s regulations in areas such as financial management,” the school said.
The union rejected the reasons in a statement on social media, calling them “unfounded and arbitrary”.
“The university’s unreasonable action raises concerns about potential ulterior motives behind this mandatory suspension,” the union said.
Social media users on Tuesday posted photos of a message expressing condolences for those killed in the fire, posted on a bulletin board run by the student union and nicknamed the “democracy wall.”
The unsigned message continued: “We are from Hong Kong. Call on the government to be understanding and respond to the people’s demands so that justice is served.”
An AFP reporter saw the wall blocked by high barricades on Wednesday.
HKBU student Kevin, who declined to give his surname, told AFP at the time that he found the noticeboard message “positive” and said it caught the attention of students passing by before it was closed.
The university did not respond to AFP’s questions about the democracy wall.
Authorities warned against crimes that “exploit the tragedy” and reportedly arrested at least three people on sedition charges following the fire.
Student unions at Hong Kong universities were once hotbeds of political activism and played a role in the city’s large and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in 2019.
After Beijing imposed a national security law in Hong Kong a year later, its operations were either scaled back or shut down entirely; Critics say this curbs dissent.
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