Secondary school students across Hong Kong formed human chains on Monday morning to support the pro-democracy protests, which have entered their 14th week.
At around 7am on Monday, students from at least 100 schools linked hands, held placards and chanted slogans such as “All five demands, not one fewer.” The human chain event came after class boycotts last week at the start of the school term.
Carmel Pak U Secondary School in Tai Po saw a few hundred students and alumni stand in support of one of their schoolmates, who was apprehended by police in Tai Po Market MTR station on Saturday. The student, who was due to take his public exams this year, was seen bleeding from the head after being hit with a baton.
Five of the school’s students were also arrested on unlawful assembly charges on Saturday when police stormed the MTR station. They were later released on bail.
Around 300 people from the school later walked to the local police station to submit a complaint letter. A spokesperson for the student group said that the police had “lost their sanity” and were beating unarmed and defenceless students.
“As a student in the Tai Po district, [to see] a student from another school being hit on the head and bleeding all over the ground, how can we not come out?” a student told Apple Daily.
Meanwhile, one of the largest human chains was formed by students from 18 schools spanning Yau Ma Tei, Homantin and To Kwa Wan. Students also formed joint-school human chains from Wong Tai Sin to Tsz Wan Shan, from Yau Ma Tei to Prince Edward, and in the Central and Western District.
Groups such as Demosisto have called for a class boycott among secondary school students. Some students on Monday went to school five minutes late, to signify the five core demands of protesters.
Do you hear the people sing? outside St Stephens Girls’ pic.twitter.com/NqVaK2TlP7
— Antony Dapiran (@antd) September 9, 2019
At the PLK Vicwood KT Chong Sixth Form College in Tai Kok Tsui, an alumnus of the school was hurt by what appeared to be an object thrown from height.
A wounding case was reported at Cognitio College in San Po Kong, where a man was seen threatening passersby with a box cutter. A teacher’s hand was hurt during an attempt to stop the man, according to the school.
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