Students' union faces security law probe

The police force's national security department is investigating the student union of the City University of Hong Kong after its representatives were accused of advocating resistance to the government and social-distancing rules in its final meeting a week ago, sources said.

It is understood that national security police officers have started the probe and gathered evidence at the university campus.

The probe came after the student union held a "farewell ceremony" last Monday, after the university decided to take back the union's office on February 7 due to the union's inability to provide years of audit reports.

The "farewell ceremony" began with some 30 black-clad students gathering in the union office and starting a rally, with over 100 people gathering at its peak.

Security guards at the university warned students not to breach the two-person gathering ban, but students ignored the warning.

Some executives of the union then led students to a student-run campus convenience store and used ink to write slogans on the floor, including "ideological freedom, academic autonomy" and "not yielding an inch, resist till the end."

The executives later led a rally consisting of students to the democracy wall on campus - intended to allow students to post views - and shouted slogans along the way.

After arriving at the wall, the executives encouraged students to post sticky notes and drew graffiti on the staircase railings at the campus.

Some of the students also wrote slogans advocating Hong Kong independence on the notes and railings, including "reclaim Hong Kong, revolution of our times," and "an independent nation."

The university apparently reported the incident to the police and sought assistance.

Sources said the latest pandemic wave had already been worsening on the day of the incident and the union publicly breached the social distancing ban and incited students to gather and rally on campus, putting the campus and the community at increased risks of infection.

The university and law enforcers are taking the incident seriously, with the police's national security department investigating the case.