Two student leaders at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology have been suspended for organizing a memorial event and keeping protest materials on notice boards, though both plan to appeal the school’s decision.

The university said the memorial event held last May – six months after the death of HKUST student Alex Chow near a protest site – caused public health concerns. It also objected to union members repainting the protest slogan “Hope lies with the people, change begins with resistance” on a campus walkway.

Donald Mak and Lo Kai-ho, the president and vice president of the Students’ Union, were each given a one-semester suspension, with the school threatening expulsion if there were further violations.

The duo, along with four other union members, were also given letters of reprimand, barred from using campus sports facilities and amenities for six months, and ordered to perform 75 hours of community service.

Mak and Lo said they will appeal against the suspension although they believe the chances of success were slim.

“I never thought that hosting a memorial would be considered a violation and would lead to suspension,” Lo told Apple Daily, saying he was shocked when he received the notice. He is worried that the delay in his graduation will affect his chances of future employment, but said he had no regrets about taking part in the students’ union activities.

Mak rejected the university’s accusation that the memorial was a public health risk, saying the union enforced social distancing measures, and provided temperature checks and hand sanitizers to attendees.

Mak said HKUST students should remember that Alex Chow was part of their community, adding that he would still make the same choice today to commemorate Chow. A Coroner’s Court inquest into Chow’s death concluded earlier this month with an open verdict.

As for the political material on notice boards, Mak said the union believed students should have a space to express their views, so it refused the university’s orders to take them down. The material was later removed by school staff.

HKUST said the penalties were related to student discipline, and that the case had been referred to a disciplinary committee because the students had “ignored repeated warnings.”

The affected students had a right to provide in-person or written explanations, and they could appeal against the decision under existing procedures, a spokesperson said.

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