A pro-democracy rally earlier this year in Hong Kong.LARIQUE/FLICKR/CREATIVE COMMONS
By Dennis Normile 15 September 2014 12:45 pm
Hong Kong’s academics are being drawn into a long-running debate over local election procedures as student activists organize a boycott of classes to protest what they argue are undemocratic restrictions proposed by Beijing. More than 500 professors and staff members at 20 of the city’s colleges and universities have signed a statement supporting the students. And at least a few worry that Beijing’s attempts to micromanage local affairs could eventually crimp academic freedom.
A statement of support titled “Don’t let the striking students stand alone” is posted in Chinese and English on the Hong Kong Professional Teachers’ Union’s website.
“As teachers and as citizens, we are pained and outraged to see the advancement of democracy in Hong Kong stifled and suppressed,” the statement begins before strongly endorsing student activism: “When we look back at history, both in China and overseas, we see that student movements have been an important force in pushing for social progress. Our hope in Hong Kong’s future lies in the passion and spirit shown by our young people and their willingness to take up the mantle in the fight for democracy and social justice.”