Hong Kong student union suspended over calls for justice for fire victims

Hong Kong Baptist University pupil national says suspension was ‘unfounded’ and whitethorn person ‘ulterior motives’.

A assemblage successful Hong Kong has suspended the operations of its pupil national aft messages were posted connected field expressing condolences and urging justness for the victims of a major deadly fire.

The Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) confirmed to the AFP quality bureau connected Friday that it ordered the HKBU Student Union’s acting enforcement committee to suspend its operations “with contiguous effect until further notice”. It did not notation the occurrence and the union’s telephone for justness successful its connection confirming the suspension.

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Hong Kong residents person been demanding answers from the metropolis authorities aft a occurrence that ripped done Wang Fuk Court successful the city’s bluish Tai Po territory past week, sidesplitting astatine slightest 159 radical successful what was described arsenic the world’s deadliest residential gathering occurrence since 1980.

In a connection published by the Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP), HKBU cited the pupil union’s debased rank rate, deficiency of a “strong commitment” to amended the payment of students, and nonaccomplishment to “abide by the regulations” of the assemblage connected fiscal matters, arsenic reasons for the indefinite suspension.

The national rejected the reasons successful a connection connected societal media, calling them “unreasonable”, “unfounded and arbitrary”.

“The university’s irrational enactment raises concerns astir imaginable ulterior motives down this forced suspension,” AFP cited the national arsenic saying.

In a abstracted connection published by HKFP connected Friday, the national said rank has accrued “sixfold” compared with past year, contempt attempts by the assemblage to artifact efforts by students to amended the union.

On Tuesday, societal media users circulated photos of a connection stuck onto a pupil union-run announcement board, nicknamed the “democracy wall”, which expressed condolences for those killed successful the fire.

The unsigned connection continued: “We are Hongkongers,” and urged the authorities to beryllium receptive and respond to nationalist demands truthful justness tin beryllium done.

#HongKong authorities proceed to squelch the angry, grieving voices of #HongKongers: Baptist U covers pupil national billboard: "Deepest condolences to the Wang Fook Court occurrence victims. WE ARE HONGKONGERS. We inquire the gov't to heed the public's call….so justness whitethorn beryllium served." pic.twitter.com/kcKXK4gtG8

— Hong Kong Democracy Council (@hkdc_us) December 3, 2025

The partition was aboriginal blocked disconnected by assemblage information unit with gangly barricades, according to quality reports from Hong Kong.

Kevin, a HKBU pupil who declined to springiness his surname, told AFP that helium recovered the noticeboard connection to beryllium “positive” and said it drew attraction from students walking by earlier it was sealed off.

The assemblage did not respond to AFP’s questions regarding the ideology wall.

Authorities person warned against crimes that “exploit the tragedy” and person cracked down connected calls for accountability, arresting astatine slightest 3 radical for sedition successful the fire’s aftermath.

On Thursday, reports said that authorities besides arrested a Hong Kong YouTuber for alleged “sedition” implicit remarks astir the Tai Po fire.

Student unions astatine Hong Kong universities were erstwhile hotbeds of governmental activism and played a relation successful the city’s immense and sometimes convulsive pro-democracy protests successful 2019.

But they either shrank their operations oregon were unopen down wholly aft a dense crackdown by the authorities, and erstwhile Beijing imposed a nationalist information instrumentality successful Hong Kong successful 2020 that critics accidental has curbed dissent successful the autonomous Chinese city.

On Sunday, the metropolis is scheduled to clasp a “patriots only” legislative election, but turnout is expected to beryllium low, with residents saying they are aggravated astatine authorities.

The vote has been viewed by immoderate analysts arsenic a test of legitimacy for the Hong Kong government arsenic it tries to soothe nationalist choler implicit the fire and oversee an ongoing nationalist information crackdown.