The Education Bureau (EDB) strongly condemned the organisation of a procession and crowd gatherings at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) without prior application today (November 19), which led to added risk of spreading disease amid the pandemic as well as suspected illegal acts that breached the peace and damaged public properties of the campus.
A spokesman for the EDB said, "While CUHK held its online Congregation today, people who claimed themselves to be students of the university held a procession and crowd gatherings inside the campus without making application to the authorities. These activities not only neglected public health risks, but also possibly violated the Prevention and Control of Disease (Prohibition on Group Gathering) Regulation. 'Hong Kong independence' messages were even displayed and shouted during the events, which could be violating the National Security Law."
He reiterated that campuses are not above the law. Students and staff shall abide by the law and shall not commit acts and engage in activities that harm national security. Universities also have the responsibility to ensure their operation meets the requirements of the law as well as the interests of students and society as a whole.
The EDB supports the CUHK management's decision to make a report to the law enforcement agency with regard to today's incident, and its pledge to handle acts of defaming CUHK's reputation in accordance with the established mechanism.
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