Thousands of Hong Kong students abandoned classes Monday, Sept. 22, and gathered at Chinese University’s Sha Tin campus to boycott for democracy in 2017 chief executive election.
According to Reuters, students from over 20 universities and colleges wore white shirts and yellow ribbons with signs that said, “The boycott must happen. Disobey and grasp your destiny.”
“University students must shoulder the responsibility of these times,” Nathan Law, the president of Lingnan University’s student union said.
According to South China Morning Post, Alex Chow, leader of the Hong Kong Federation of Students that organized the protest, said they are sending a letter to Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying demanding a response to Hong Kongers’ hope for true universal suffrage.
Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997 as a city that has high degree of autonomy and freedom and runs under China as “one country, two systems.”
However, Beijing last month announced Hong Kong could not freely nominate and choose its next chief executive.
“We are willing to pay the price for democracy. No one can take away people’s entitled right. No one. Not the SAR government and of course not the NPC,” Chow said.
Another student group Scholarism is planning to host another boycott of secondary school classes on Sept. 26 as a second wave of the democracy movement, RushHourDaily reported.
Photo Credit: AFP
