“One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws”
- Martin Luther King Jr.
As a student, what would your response be when asked, “Will you attend classes if there existed a threat of bodily harm to your person?”. The generally anticipated answer would be a certain “no”. But what if you did not have a choice? For most of us, the occurrence of such a situation would be a very remote possibility. But for the students in Hong Kong, this has become their dire reality.
Imagine having to reside in a world of protests. Imagine being a student amidst these protests which often result in violent clashes between the parties involved. Visualize standing in your university campus and uniting with the protesters in the hope of making a difference. Standing in the center of chaos, face to face with the police who are armed to the teeth. You have to defend yourself against riot shields, guns and whatnot, whereas you only have the cover of cloth on your skin. Suddenly, the police start deploying multiple rounds of rubber bullets onto the crowd. Adding to your agony, tear gas canisters fall from the sky. You are surrounded by toxic smoke and try your best to shield your face from the fumes that continue to be released. The effects of the noxious gas present itself, irritation begins in your nose and throat, everything seems to become blurry and soon enough you are breathless, so you race indoors to escape it all. This horrifying scenario recapitulates the present-day life of students in Hong Kong.
Injustice Towards Students
The Siege of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HKPU) during the last weeks of November and the conflict that took place between the 11th and 15th of November, 2019 at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) were no conventional incidents.
The conflict at CUHK became a turning point when students observing a general strike became target practice for the police as they fired tear gas and rubber bullets[1]. This resulted in an aggressive retaliation from the protestors as they threw makeshift incendiary bombs in a violent exchange[2]. Soon the bridge connecting the mainland had roadblocks that completely cut off access. So, students and citizens, whether innocent or not, were not allowed to get back to the mainland. Over the next few days, the campus turned into a war-zone leaving many students injured. Hong Kong Free Press reported that by the end, at least a thousand people were arrested[3]. There were so many incidents of police brutality that students began questioning the justice system for its lack of response to the situation.
The HKPU besiegement was one where no individual was pardoned[4]. One final day, the police offered the students willing to leave campus an exit point. Those who tried heading out of the campus were arrested and detained on the premise of being demonstrators in disguise. These included medics, reporters, and other faculty members fleeing the scene of violence[5]. The students were trapped in the ensuing mayhem without a place to go, as the situation spiraled out of control[6]. They began their daily routine and arrived on campus to attend lectures and do what students do on a customary basis, and instead they landed in the middle of a belligerent environment.
The Effect on Students
These incidents have not only affected the physical well-being of the students, but also their mental health. At least seven suicides have taken place in the past year with suicide notes citing the protests and confrontations as reasons[7]. Furthermore, there exist suspected cases of police negligence and brutality behind numerous disappearances and sudden deaths, most notably that of 15-year-old Chan Yin-lam’s death[8], though her mother has claimed it certainly to be suicide.
Chan’s story is one that raises a lot of questions. To paint a grim picture, on the afternoon of 19th September 2019, Chan left her friends to head home after lunch; this was the last point of contact before she disappeared. Three days later, her naked corpse was found afloat, off the coast of Devil’s Peak. On being interviewed, her mother stated how Chan had taken part in the protests, distributing leaflets from time to time, and had endured a period of psychological instability due to the constant doxing and threats online which could have pushed her to take the extreme step.
The situation escalated to such a tense and unpleasant point that international students had to return home and take part in online classes and assessments for an uncertain period of time. I personally know of an individual whose family was conscious of the extreme situation and pulled the student out of the university in Hong Kong and instead enrolled them into an university here, in India. Such instances are not rare, for the circumstances often demand such precautionary steps.
Present Day Scenario
With the presence of the COVID-19 pandemic, fear of contracting the disease has spread through the world like wildfire. Despite this, the Hong Kong government has not stopped targeting students from schools and colleges.
The recent passing of the National Security Law (NSL) has further incited social unrest in Hong Kong. As of 30th July 2020[9], four students have been arrested for "inciting secession" on social media. Strict action is being taken against institutions that are teaching their pupils to exercise their freedom of expression. Moreover, Hong Kong’s education chief has asked schools to discipline any student or teacher participating in the strikes over Beijing’s imposition of the NSL in Hong Kong and discipline plans are also being formulated for arrested students[10].
In another move, schools are telling their students not to take part in protests or rallies under the pretense of pursuing justice and are being shunned for reading material that may seem politically biased against the Chinese government and the implementation of the NSL[11].
Conclusion
“Change is the end result of all true learning.”
- Leo Buscaglia
What the students of Hong Kong are going through is beyond describable. A horrific chain of events that keeps growing ever more so disastrous, has put their lives at stake. I hope that the students of Hong Kong can build a better future for themselves despite the numerous barricades currently obstructing their paths.
Article by-
Kiriti Kapavari,
PES MUN Society
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