The student union at the University of Hong Kong repainted pro-democracy slogans on a campus bridge on Friday, an annual commemoration of the Tiananmen Square massacre made more risky following the imposition of Beijing’s national security law on the city.

At 2 p.m., around 20 HKU students and union representatives took part in the repainting on Taikoo Bridge, which was delayed for a week due to rain. The annual touching up of the slogans, which declare that the “spark of democracy will not be extinguished,” is the first since the passing of the national security law in Hong Kong.

HKUSU president Charles Kwok said that he believed that the student union has a responsibility to always remember historical truth and to give guidance to the university’s students.

The number of participants this year was comparable to previous years, Kwok said, but the atmosphere was different than before because of the national security law.

Kwok emphasized that the student union had not organized an illegal event.

In response to rumors that a course in national security education would soon be introduced to HKU students, Kwok said that the school had been in touch with the student union recently, but he could not divulge the details at this stage.

He said he believed the issue would be discussed further at a HKU Senate meeting in July.

When asked about a report in the Atlantic magazine that HKU staff members had been reported to the police’s national security hotline, Kwok said that the information available was limited and they were making inquiries with the school.

The repainting event passed off without incident, although the student union said they received an email from the school beforehand reminding them to maintain social distancing. A week earlier, when the Pillar of Shame monument was cleaned, security guards had maintained a presence at the scene.

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