HK students kicked out of commencement for disrespecting national anthem

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Two students from Hong Kong College of Technology (HKCT) were kicked out of their graduation ceremony on Saturday for disrespecting the national anthem, according to Hong Kong-based newspaper Wen Wei Po.

Before the commencement, the college had informed the graduating students with a pamphlet which clarified the ceremony's rule that everyone should stand for the national anthem.

However, the two students, social work majors, sat silently with their arms crossed when the national anthem played, defying the school rule and showing no respect for the national anthem.

Noticing that the two students remained seated, the school staff stopped the ceremony and demanded the two students leave. More than 10 students at the ceremony also walked out in support of the pair and the ceremony resumed after being disrupted for nearly 20 minutes.

More than 10 students at the ceremony walked out to support the two students who were kicked out for disrespecting national anthem. /Kankan news

The students, however, continued to disrupt the ceremony and protest outside. Chan Cheuk-hay, the principal of the college, later talked with them about their protest.

Chan said the college respected students’ right to have different perspectives, and, vice versa, the students should respect the college’s solemn ceremony and patriotic stance.

Chan Cheuk-hay, Principal of Hong Kong College of Technology talked with the students who refused to stand for the national anthem after the ceremony. /Global Times

“The college has been upholding the patriotic flag and this is uncompromising. And we never retreated even under colonial rule, during which we were suppressed and our funds and school buildings were withdrawn. If you didn’t know about this during your admission, you have picked the wrong school,” said Chan.

‍Chan’s words won over the public after the video capturing his remarks circulated on social media. On Facebook, many alumni of HKCT posted their support for Chan and on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like social network, nearly 300,000 users liked the video and over 60,000 reposted it to express their appreciation for Chan’s reasonable and respectful response.

Screenshot of netizens’ comments on Facebook

Screenshot of netizens’ comments on Weibo

China’s top legislature, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, decided to add the National Anthem Law, which went into effect on October 1, to Article III of the Basic Laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region last month.

The law states that when China’s national anthem plays at government events, formal ceremonies and sporting events, among other occasions, Chinese citizens are to stand solemnly and act respectfully throughout the anthem.