In September 2017, tensions arose between different parties over the content of posters put up on Democracy wall in the Chinese University of Hong Kong. This has led to increased tensions in Hong Kong society, due to the interpretations of freedom of speech of certain content of the posters. This has also led to copycats incidents occurring in other universities in Hong Kong as well reigniting Hong Kong Independence debate within Hong Kong Kong society. The standoff, which has manifested in a series of protests and counterprotests on campuses, is reflective of the wider disconnect between mainlanders and Hongkongers, fanned by a host of reasons from politics and language barriers to state-fuelled propaganda and competition for scarce resources.
Background Rise of Localism in Hong Kong
Since the end of 2014 Hong Kong Protests and the failure of 2014–15 Hong Kong electoral reform, led to changes to new political changes within Hong Kong society. Public dissatisfaction (among Hong Kong Youth) with Pro-democracy camp for their lack of progress in introducing democracy and the Pro-Beijing camp for not looking out for Hong Kong's interests, led to new "localist" parties being formed to challenge the status quo.
Localism has been gaining popularity within Hong Kong youth, some rejecting their identity as "Chinese", with many new political parties and organisations, with different interpretations, some Localist parties have promoted a "Hong Kong first" agenda, while others promote the notion of Hong Kong Independence, believing that only when Hong Kong is Independent from mainland China, Hong Kong can reach its true potential.
Student activism Universities in Hong Kong have always had a strong pretense in Student activism, with involvement in many different causes as well responding to certain events and policies throughout the years, with Hong Kong Federation of Students being the main organisation. Examples include Cultural Revolution, Action Committee for Defending the Diaoyu Islands, 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre, memorials for the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre, Hong Kong 1 July marches, Moral and national education protests, 2013 Hong Kong dock strike, 2014 Hong Kong protests. There has been divide between Hong Kong students and Mainland students in Hong Kong, due differences in their cultural upbringing. There are two distinct types of Mainland students, undergraduates and postgraduates. Mainland students who are undergraduates in Hong Kong universities, tend to understand the context of such problems and be bit more sympathetic in their responses as they do mingle more with Hong Kong local students. Then there are Mainland students who are one-year postgraduates, have little time to gain deep knowledge and understanding of Hong Kong and few of them will become proficient in Cantonese as most of them fresh out of university in the mainland. Hence most will be patriotic and nationalistic and most of their friend groups will be fellow Mainlanders.
Hong Kong-Mainland China Conflict Xinqi Su, writing for South China Morning Post explains that "Tainted baby milk formula imported from the mainland, mainland mothers flooding city hospitals in a bid to give their children residency rights, tax breaks for mainland traders, the so-called “anti-locust” protests against mainland visitors, failed political reforms and, most recently, disqualification of pan-democratic lawmakers with Beijing's new interpretation of the Basic Law, have all worked to create a sense of mistrust." Both sides have poor connections/bridges between the two as well different communication. For example differences can be seen on social media, where there are “two echo chambers”, Mainland students tend to use QQ, Weibo and WeChat, while Hong Kong students tend to use Facebook and Instagram, thus deepened the segregation as well languages use, Mandarin for Mainland students and Cantonese for local students.
In an editorial, South China Morning Post explained "Pro-independence banners appeared across the city's higher education institutes on the National Day in 2016. Provocative and unwise as they are, the gestures are unsurprising, though. They stem from the negative sentiments arising from what some see as an erosion of the city's high degree of autonomy, the setback over political reform and the unlawful Occupy protests in 2014. The sentiments became even stronger after a court ruled in favour of the government's bid to throw three former student activists behind bars."
Timeline Week 1 September 4 A series of banners and posters displaying the messages related to "Hong Kong Independence" sprung up around the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Nobody claimed responsibility for the acts, it is believed that they put by some unknown CUHK students, the banners and posters were later taken down. As the posters were taken down, the CUHK student union condemned the act as "suppression of freedom of speech", however university argued that the banners were hung at several spots on campus without any prior permission, hence were removed.
The chair of the university's student union, Justin Au, admitted that he and other some activists had wrapped a banner, covered with the names of Pro-democracy activists jailed or facing prosecution such as Joshua Wong Chi-fung, Nathan Law Kwun-chung and Alex Chow Yong-kang, around the Goddess of Democracy statue at the campus.
September 5 (First standoff) On Tuesday, three more 'Hong Kong Independence' banners appeared around CUHK. The university responded by accusing the CUHK student union for not enforcing rules, issuing a letter the union stating "We have noted the posters and banners advocating Hong Kong independence. Such ideas have constituted a breach of relevant provisions of the law, and go against the university's stance of absolute disagreement to independence". The union responded with encouraging students to stand up for the right to defend free speech, warning the university plans to remove the banners by force. Lee Chen-yung, vice chairperson of the Students Association, and 20 other students decided to protect the banner after being told that it was going to be removed later that day.
Later that evening, a standoff (captured on video), occurred between a Mainland female student and representatives from CUSU at Democracy wall as the student attempted to take down Independence posters (“Fight for our homeland. Fight for Hong Kong independence”). She left after being told she could post messages expressing her disagreement, she could not remove existing signage.
Similar pro-independence banners and solidarity messages for CUHK appeared in various places including the democracy wall in Hong Kong University (HKU) and Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK). EdUHKSU reported that the banner disappeared less than an hour after being put up. It also stopped a Putonghua-speaking woman from taking down and destroying the banner, but that she had subsequently left the scene. The union issued a statement "We denounce the woman's actions. Students have the right to express their opinions, but even if they do not agree, to destroy others’ property due to a difference in political opinion is barbaric".
September 6 (First joint statement) More pro-independence and solidarity with CUSU banners and posters has spread and appeared in City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Shue Yan University. Some were put up by the student unions, while others were done anonymous students. The unions from City University, Hang Seng Management College, Lingnan University, Polytechnic University, Education University, Open University and Chinese University issued a joint open letter condemning the removal of such material by campus authorities as a 'serious erosion' of academic freedom. Independence posters in Chinese University, City University, Hong Kong Polytechnic and Education University were later removed at night. The Universities of Education and City cited 'advocating illegal action' and 'violation of the Basic Law' as reasons for the removal. The four respective student unions slammed the removal as 'intervening in the students right to freedom of speech'.
September 7 (Second Standoff/First offensive poster about 'congratulating' death/First public protest) Despite the removal of Independence posters and banners, more reappeared, with messages also appearing in Hong Kong Baptist University and the rest of universities in Hong Kong.
The mainland Chinese student captured on film on September 5 tearing down posters advocating Hong Kong independence has been called a hero by Communist Youth League. On social media, she was widely praised on mainland China, while she widely condemned in Hong Kong.
At 5pm, a group of middle-aged pro-Beijing protesters also showed up condemning the CUHK student union and urging the university management to remove all the offensive posters. At 6pm, another standoff occurred at CUHK's democracy wall between 100 Hong Kong students and Mainland students, with heated scattered quarrels broke out for completing space to put up posters and taking opposing ideological stands on freedom of speech. Posters declaring “CUSU is not CU”, “Sorry we refuse to be represented”, “Get out of Chinese soil if supporting independence”, "We don't want the anthem law" and many others appeared. The standoff lasted for an hour, before both groups dispersed. CUSU leader, Au Tsz-Ho said “We respect opposing opinions of students and will safeguard freedom of speech,” and the union agreed to clear three out of four boards of pro-independence posters, stating they would remove all such material without signatures as posters without signatures breached regulations. Shue Yan University also said posters could stay up on its democracy as long as space was also provided for other views.
An offensive post was seen on the democracy wall of the Education University of Hong Kong, after news of the death of Poon Hong-yan, a son of Undersecretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin was reported.
September 8 (Second public protest) Chinese University of Hong Kong said that it will investigate a student, who was later identified as former student union leader Ernie Chow for allegedly using derogatory language (the word “Chee-na”), after receiving multiple internal and external complaints. The incident occurred during a standoff with mainland students over banners advocating independence at Democracy wall, on September 7. The university issued a statement: “The university strongly condemns the student's use of a derogatory slur against China to engage malicious personal attacks."
At around 2.30pm, about 30 members of the student unions of Chinese University, the University of Hong Kong, Baptist University and Shue Yan University held a protest outside the Chinese University's student affairs office demanding a dialogue. They demanded protection for freedom of speech, regardless of differing political stances and a promise that banners or posters would not be taken down. At around 8.30pm, the university vice-president Dennis Ng Kee-pui agreed not to take any posters or banners down without talking to the students.