But after the removal, more banners and posters were\u00a0put up at other universities in support of CUHK students. Some of them were put up by student unions, whilst others\u00a0were put up by students or anonymous persons.<\/p>\n
![\"hk](\"https:\/\/www.hongkongfp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/21430072_1500761343323825_4038083883669391679_n.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
At the City University of Hong Kong, slogans such as \u201cHong Kong independence\u201d and \u201cSupport the Chinese University student union\u201d were put up on a\u00a0public message board\u00a0managed by the student union.<\/p>\n
The characters \u201cindependence\u201d were removed by school security guards, who said the student responsible for the posters \u2013 who left\u00a0their information on them\u00a0\u2013 did not exist. University management told local media that it does not allow students to advocate\u00a0illegal actions.<\/p>\n
However, the student union said the student could be identified\u00a0using the student number written on the slogans, and that the slogans met the student union\u2019s requirements.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen the school removes \u2018Hong Kong independence\u2019 from the board\u2026 it not only violates the mutual trust between the student union and the school, but also infringes on\u00a0the freedom of City University students,\u201d it said in a statement.<\/p>\n
![\"independence](\"https:\/\/www.hongkongfp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/CityU.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\u2018Seditious intention\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n Executive Councillor and senior counsel Ronny Tong said the act of\u00a0putting up pro-independence banners may violate\u00a0Section\u00a09 of the Crimes Ordinance on seditious intention.<\/p>\n But the student union said they would \u201cgladly receive the sentence.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe will become the first prisoners for speech crime after the handover,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n There is no law in Hong Kong forbidding the discussion of independence.<\/p>\n Pro-independence slogans supporting CUHK students also appeared on a message board at the Polytechnic University. They were removed on Wednesday night by its Facilities Management Office, but more slogans have appeared since.<\/p>\n The non-elected, temporary administration of its student union said it\u00a0still manages the message board, but the school did not notify it before removal.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are very disappointed by the school\u2019s actions,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n The Education University also said pro-independence slogans at the school violated the Basic Law and added that they have been removed.<\/p>\n \u201cThe student union is mandated by the public \u2013 the autonomy of students should not be interfered with. We strongly condemn the school for intervening with the student union\u2019s autonomy, harming Hong Kong\u2019s freedom of speech,\u201d its student union said in a statement.<\/p>\n The University of Hong Kong and Baptist University have not removed pro-independence banners, saying that the message boards are managed by student unions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" (HKFP)\u00a0Pro-independence slogans at three more universities have been\u00a0removed following incidents at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). Multiple\u00a0banners were\u00a0spotted at the Chinese University on Monday before they were removed\u00a0by the school, which said it does not support independence. The … Continue reading ![\"independence](\"https:\/\/www.hongkongfp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/21368842_1604160732983304_3105691165676450484_o.jpg\")
<\/p>\n