The Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on Friday expressed support for an investigation into suspected violations of the National Security Law for Hong Kong at the Chinese University of Hong Kong during an unauthorized gathering.
In a statement, a spokesperson of the office said that on Thursday, almost 100 people marched in a parade on campus without a permit, some of whom shouted slogans and carried flags advocating Hong Kong independence, painted graffiti and vandalized public property.
The activities were held in the name of protesting against the university’s decision to move the graduation ceremony online in light of the coronavirus pandemic situation, according to the statement.
Noting that a graduation ceremony should be a solemn occasion, the spokesperson said that people who participated in the illegal assembly at CUHK not only violated the government’s social distancing restrictions, but also hurt the feelings of most graduates and their relatives.
The spokesperson stressed that universities are places to cultivate talent and studying and they cannot become a place for illegal disturbances.
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CUHK reported the incident to the Hong Kong Police Force on Thursday. The force’s National Security Department entered the CUHK campus on Friday afternoon to collect evidence.
Barrister Lawrence Ma Yan-kwok said the acts, including chanting slogans advocating separatism and Hong Kong independence, certainly violate Article 20 of the National Security Law for Hong Kong
Barrister Lawrence Ma Yan-kwok on Friday said that the acts, including chanting slogans advocating separatism and Hong Kong independence, certainly violate Article 20 of the National Security Law for Hong Kong.
Article 20 stipulates that a person who organizes, plans, commits or participates in acts including separating the HKSAR or any other part of China from the country, whether or not by force or threat of force, with a view to committing secession or undermining national unification shall be guilty of an offense.
It also specifies that a person who actively participates in the offense shall be sentenced to a fixed term of imprisonment of not less than three years.
Ma, chairman of the Hong Kong Legal Exchange Foundation, also told China Daily that the university’s calling the police was totally reasonable because National Security Law offenses are like other criminal offenses that the university should report immediately upon discovery.
“The universities should also alert the police even before these rallies started because prevention of crime is a civic duty shared by all citizens,” he added.
CUHK’s Alumni Association of the Graduate Studies in a statement said it supports the university’s reporting incidents to the police and letting professionals deal with all suspected illegal activities.
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Armstrong Lee, president of the association, said the way the incident is being handled is “appropriate” and “correct”, as the university has performed its duty to warn people not to participate in these illegal rallies and it also has a duty to protect the safety of students and faculty.
