Police storming of campuses condemned internationally

Academics from Hong Kong and international academics, including from the United States, United Kingdom and Australia, have condemned police violence on campuses in Hong Kong, with international academics saying they may have to reconsider partnerships with Hong Kong universities if student safety is at risk, after at least four universities saw police storm campuses for the first time since protests began almost six months ago.

Police fired multiple rounds of tear gas and there were violent confrontations with students as police rushed into the campuses of the University of Hong Kong, the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), City University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Polytechnic University on Monday and Tuesday, arresting a number of students.

In the longest and most drawn-out confrontation, hundreds of riot police besieged the CUHK campus for over 12 hours on Tuesday 12 November as students barricaded themselves in, amid constant tear gas volleys which did not stop even as the university’s president, Rocky Tuan, emerged to try to negotiate with the police.

Multiple fires were burning and a water cannon was fired on campus as night fell. Students said many were injured.

The campus confrontations were described by some university staff as a “warning” by police that they would not tolerate radical behaviour, and by others as a new “dangerous phase” with police willing to make a move on campuses, which they had previously avoided.

Police invasions of campuses came as protests around the city became more violent. Until now, after 24 weeks of almost continuous protests, campuses have seen mainly peaceful rallies, with some scuffles between students over the tearing down of ‘Lennon Walls’ by some mainland Chinese students. Even a class boycott called by students in early September fizzled out.

International academics from universities around the world expressed “serious concerns” about the police attacks.

“Without clear targets of arrest nor search warrants, riot police stationed themselves on and around university property, provoking students with accusations of unlawful assembly. In the case of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, riot police stormed into campus and made arrests. The chaos that ensued has completely disrupted and undermined the functions of universities as sites of open inquiry, freedom of expression, and effective teaching,” they said in an online statement.

“We urge the Hong Kong government to exercise restraint in managing the current crisis, ensuring that the police follow proper protocol in executing their duties,” academics said, adding that “police should only enter campuses with search warrants”.

“We may have to reconsider our partnerships with Hong Kong universities in the future if students’ safety is at risk and such blatant violation of academic and intellectual freedom continues,” they said.

The Scholars’ Alliance for Academic Freedom, a group of academics from a number of Hong Kong universities, on Tuesday accused police of using unnecessary force at universities, where students live and should be allowed to gather freely.

CUHK Associate Professor Chan King-ming, who is also a Democratic Party member, said: “I don't think our students were trying to do harm to the general public. They were just gathering on campus, or inside campus. So it's quite unlawful for the police to go in to crack down on any student gathering."

Chan said students called for a strike, “but the police blocked all the roads and intended to attack universities. Right now they have really got into the university,” which he described as a “shameful situation”.

Another Democratic legislator, Au Nok-hin, who is a CUHK alumnus, said the police were “out of control”.

Student death sparked latest protests

Public anger was sparked by the death on 8 November of Chow Tsz-lok, a student at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, four days after he fell from a car park trying to escape a police dispersal operation. Protesters had called for general strike on Monday and Tuesday to protest against police violence and Chow’s death.

Chow’s death is regarded as the first protest-related fatality since the protests began over a controversial bill to allow the extradition of criminals to mainland China. The bill has since been withdrawn by the Hong Kong government. But public anger is still high over police brutality and the large numbers of arrests – more than 3,000 since June.

On Monday clouds of tear smoke was seen billowing between buildings at the University of Hong Kong (HKU). Several academics including law professors Fu Hualing and Johannes Chan tried to defuse tensions, pleading with emotional and tearful students not to attack police.

Matthew Evans, science dean at HKU, told the media on Monday: “What is happening now is not sustainable. What happens is that the police come, there is a fight, people get arrested and then tomorrow it starts all over again – maybe not here, maybe somewhere else.

“It needs to end somehow.”

The HKU campus was almost deserted on Tuesday, with only groups of “defenders” at the university preparing new barricades, fearing police attacks similar to CUHK.

HKU’s vice-chancellor, Xiang Zhang, said in a statement on Monday that five of the university’s students had been arrested and added that regulations allowed police to enter a university without consent if they “reasonably suspect” there is cause for arrest.

CUHK under siege

But the biggest confrontation with police was at CUHK over two days. Tear gas, sponge grenades and rubber bullets rained into the campus with students lobbing petrol bombs in an attempt to halt a police advance on the campus.

Students said they had to stave off a police occupation of the campus and mass student arrests. “This is a direct attack on a university,” said one female student dressed in black and wearing a face mask.

A tall black-clad student giving his name only as Marcus said: “We are trying to stop the police from entering our campus because the university campus is a place where free ideas are spread and discussed; if they are able to breach here illegally, then it is the end of our freedom of speech.”

Even as police advanced, a police spokesperson said there was no intention to “charge into the campus” and added: “We are just trying to disperse and arrest alleged criminals. The best scenario would be if criminals hand themselves in.

“They [students] threw petrol bombs and objects at officers. No university campuses should be havens for criminals,” Acting Chief Superintendent Kelvin Kong said at a police press conference.

CUHK’s Chan on RTHK radio described this as a “totally disgraceful statement made by police”, adding that the police had no grounds to go into the university because the students are not rioters; students “are just gathering together because, actually, they live there”.

Chan warned that such police actions would escalate the situation, provoking more students and alumni to join the protests.

Last month police caused controversy by entering the CUHK campus without the university’s permission, arresting five students who were putting up protest posters.

Police insisted this week that they had “full legal power” to enter the CUHK campus to pursue perpetrators, despite recent assurances by the university’s administration that police would not be allowed in.

Other campuses

At City University of Hong Kong (CityU) tear gas was fired close to student residences after “radical protesters” began gathering early on Tuesday 12 November to build barricades “to defend the campus”. Streets outside the CityU campus periphery were strewn with bricks and debris from roadblocks set up by demonstrators earlier. Police said students had been throwing petrol bombs and their [police] actions were intended to clear the roads.

The CityU administration, in a statement, said it was “highly concerned” about an incident on Tuesday morning when riot police carried out “dispersal operations” close to student residences. In an earlier letter to students and staff, the administration condemned the acts of “a group of masked people with unknown identities” who had recently vandalised university facilities, including the office of the university’s president.

Hong Kong Polytechnic University said it had tightened security measures on campus after clashes between protesters and police on Monday when multiple rounds of tear gas were fired. Students had barricaded a number of entry points to the campus. One student outside the campus said: “The police are wanting to enter the campus just because students have set up roadblocks outside.”

Universities in Hong Kong were closed earlier this week, but several extended the cancellation of classes, hoping to calm the situation and to repair damaged facilities, according to university statements. Graduation ceremonies were also cancelled at a number of universities.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said protesters were being extremely selfish. She hoped universities and schools would urge students not to take part in demonstrations, while China issued a statement of “strong support” for Hong Kong’s police via official Chinese media.