Hong Kong protests: School bullying concern group formed by Pro-Beijing politicians
With the ongoing anti-government sentiment in the city, there are fears that children of police officers and mainland migrants could be targeted
(L-R) Cheung Kwok-kwan; Connie Wong Wai-ching; Chan Wing-kee; Yeung Yiu-chung; and Tam Mei-po, have formed an anti-bullying concern group in Hong Kong.Five pro-Beijing politicians have set up a group to fight school bullying in Hong Kong. This comes amid concerns that Hong Kong’s ongoing extradition bill protests could result in the children of police officers and mainland migrants being targeted by bullies in the classroom.
Bullying is a pressing problem and school should “stay away from violence and hatred” so students could focus on learning, said Chan Wing-kee, the convenor of the School Bullying Concern Group established on Wednesday. Chan is also a former member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, a political advisory body on the mainland.
Police have been accused of using violence against protesters who have been taking part in protests that have rocked the city since June.
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Horace Cheung Kwok-kwan, a lawmaker and deputy convenor of the group, said he feared bullying would escalate because the children of police officers would be easy targets when the new school term starts next month.
Yeung Yiu-chung, a former delegate to the National People’s Congress and a deputy convenor of the group, said he was worried that young mainland migrants would face discrimination given the heightened Hong Kong-mainland tension. This would affect Hong Kong’s harmony and its ability to attract talent, he added.
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The concern group would first focus on referring cases of bullying to the authorities, and claimed they would not take a stance on other matters, such as the proposed class boycott next month.
“I think it’s necessary to set up this concern group ... given the complicated political environment in Hong Kong right now,” Bella Tam Sze-yan, a Form Five mainland immigrant told Young Post. Althought she hasn’t experienced any unfair treatment during the past two months or so, Bella believed that some secondary students, especially the “innocent” children of police officers, could face hostility once the new school term starts.
Edited by M. J. Premaratne