HKU security slammed over ‘blue ribbon’ Lennon Wall incident

蘋果日報 2020/09/28 00:45


Hong Kong University pledged to review its security after more than two dozen outsiders were allowed to walk onto the campus, vandalize property and leave scot-free — all under the eyes of the school’s own guards.
A group of 30 middle-aged people who said they were “ordinary citizens” showed up at the Pok Fu Lam campus on Saturday evening to tear up material on a student-managed “Lennon Wall.”
A video of the event shows six HKU security guards were present but did nothing to stop the group. Only when more guards were called to the scene did the people start to leave.
The university said it “deeply regrets” the incident, would review its security measures and would not rule out further action.
Apple Daily learned that as of Sunday afternoon, the school had yet to make a police report.
“Whether it’s a Lennon Wall or any other piece of property, how could the security guards not do anything?” said a furious Mr. Chan, who lives nearby and has taken classes at the university. “This is property managed by HKU.”
Saturday’s vandalism follows a similar incident in July in which eight white-clad people tore up a Lennon Wall on campus.
In a video uploaded to a “blue ribbon” — opposed to the democracy protests — Facebook page on Saturday, the group claimed to be there to “cleanse” the university and stated they “do not want our children to study in such a filthy university.” The Facebook group has about 2,500 followers and is administered by 14 accounts. It typically posts pro-government, ant-protest and patriotic content.
Student Union president Edy Jeh accused the security contractor of negligence.
“They [the university] now require people to present some sort of identification but this group was somehow allowed to enter without having to register their identities, go straight to [the Lennon Wall] to start tearing up students' property,” Jeh said, adding that the student body would take further action to protest the incident
Lennon Walls, named after the original one in Prague in the 1980s, are often plastered with posters, memo notes, graffiti and messages of support for the city’s pro-democracy and anti-government movements.
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