Amid mounting tensions in Hong Kong following the passage of the National Security Law, which quelled protests against the Chinese government, authorities announced the arrest of four students on a terrorism apology after a council administration of the main local university praised the attempt to sign a cop.
The attack took place on July 1, the anniversary of the return of the former British colony to the Chinese government. The perpetrator, a 57-year-old man, stabbed a 28-year-old police officer. As a result, the man stuck the knife into his own chest and later died in the hospital. The officer had a punctured lung, but he survived.
Police classified the attack as terrorist, but did not link it to any group. According to the city’s security secretary, Chris Tang, it was an individual action, or a “lone wolf” as it is called.
Shortly after the attack, members of the University of Hong Kong’s student council issued a statement in honor of the attacker, praising what they called a “sacrifice.” But the demonstration was frowned upon, and the leaders of the university center then resigned and apologized for the honor, which they described as “inappropriate”.
The guild’s headquarters were raided by the national security police, and the university severed its ties with the university center and expelled around 30 students who signed the motion.
“The tribute is very shocking,” Honcongue police commissioner Steve Li said on Wednesday. “They have tried to embellish, rationalize and glorify terrorism,” he said, adding that he “was encouraging other people to attempt suicide” and that he was not meeting “standards. moral “.
Without revealing the names of the arrested suspects, Li said they were between the ages of 18 and 20 and that police would question anyone who voted in favor of the tribute.
Besides the students, other Honcongues paid tribute to the attacker and laid flowers at the scene of the attack, which the authorities, including the city’s general manager, Carrie Lam, condemned, urging parents and teachers to be aware of adolescent behavior. and reporting young people who break the law.
A former British colony, Hong Kong was returned by the United Kingdom to China in 1997, on condition that the city be autonomous from the government of Beijing for 50 years, with special rights and rules from the rest of the continent, which has become known. under the name of “one country, two systems”.
But protesters accuse the Chinese government of flouting the deal and violating Honcongues’ guarantees, and large protests have been staged, the most recent in 2019, calling for more democracy.
With the Covid-19 pandemic and the passage of a national security law last year, the movement weakened and the government’s most prominent opponents were arrested or left the country.
Last Sunday (15), one of the groups behind the major protests, the CHRF (acronym for Human Civil Rights Front), announced its dissolution.
Most of the CHRF activists were arrested, including former leaders of the pro-democracy movement Jimmy Sham and Figo Chan. About 30 other Hong Kong civil society organizations have already dissolved out of fear of repression, according to an AFP poll. A similar decision was taken by the Professional Teachers Union, after being criticized by Chinese state media and Hong Kong authorities.