“Hong Kong independence” slogan at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Photo: Apple Daily, non-commercial use. The leaders of 10 universities in Hong Kong are condemning “abuses” of free speech on campuses. In a joint statement published on September 15, university chancellors also expressed firm opposition to the idea of Hong Kong breaking away from China. Two days later, a Hong Kong politician from the pro-Beijing camp labeled those who advocate for independence as “enemies” who should be killed. The two events highlighted not only the precarious state of free expression in Hong Kong, but also tensions over the city's future. Hong Kongers enjoy more freedoms than their counterparts in mainland China under a principle known as “One Country, Two Systems.” This autonomy is enshrined in Hong Kong's governing doctrine, known as the Basic Law, which went into force in 1997 when the United Kingdom handed the former colony over to China. According to the Basic Law, the city shall retain its way of life for 50 years, or until 2047. After that date, Hong Kong's fate is uncertain. What is certain is that in recent years, Beijing has been more forcefully asserting its influence over Hong Kong. Those who support more democratic rights, such as genuine universal suffrage, or outright independence have faced fierce repression. The university administrators’ joint statement, which was noticeably brief, was perceived as a response to the appearance of pro-Hong Kong independence slogans on campuses since September 4. The statement in full read: 我們珍惜言論自由，但我們譴責最近濫用言論自由的行為。言論自由並非絕對，有自由就有責任。所有下列的大學，特此聲明，不支持「港獨」，並認為這是違反基本法。 We treasure freedom of expression, but we condemn its recent abuses. Freedom of expression is not absolute, and like all freedoms it comes with responsibilities. All universities undersigned agree that we do not support Hong Kong independence and believe that it contravenes the Basic Law. City University of Hong Kong Hong Kong Baptist University Hong Kong Shue Yan University Lingnan University The Chinese University of Hong Kong The Education University of Hong Kong The Hong Kong Polytechnic University The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology The Open University of Hong Kong The University of Hong Kong The statement echoed a comment on September 8 from Carrie Lam, the city's chief executive or top leader, that argued pro-Hong Kong independence messages go against the “One Country, Two Systems” principle and the Basic Law. Student unions from 12 universities and colleges issued a response: 我們珍惜言論自由，此權利生而有之。校方不支持港獨，但大學師生享有言論自由，討論港獨絕無不可。所有下列的學生會，特此聲明，討論港獨絕對符合《基本法》第二十七條，校方請停止混淆視聽。 We treasure free speech, a basic human right. The universities can say they don’t support Hong Kong independence, but students and teachers should have the freedom of speech to discuss Hong Kong independence. Below the undersigned student unions hereby issue this statement of clarification: the discussion of Hong Kong independence is in alignment with Basic Law Article 27 [which guarantees freedoms of speech and assembly], the university administrators should stop confusing the public. The joint statement did not specify what the “recent abuses” were, but could be referring to incidents such as a Chinese University of Hong Kong student allegedly using the derogatory term “Chee-na” during a row with mainland peers over independence, or messages posted to bulletin board at Education University of Hong Kong taunting a top Hong Kong education official over the suicide of her eldest son. Au Kar Lun, an experienced media worker, believed the careful wording of the statement points to it being the product of political pressure from Beijing: 左報與維穩機器催促鞭策之下，十間大學校長發表簡短聯合聲明，「不支持港獨」。聲明語焉不詳，明顯沒有共識，模模糊糊，沒有清楚說明問題，也沒有解釋理據，內容欠奉，卻仍然要集體表忠，只有一個目的，就是為了應付龐大壓力，交貨表態；唯一清晰的，是一句「不支持『港獨』」。 Under pressure from a pro-Beijing newspaper and the stability maintenance machine, the heads of 10 universities issued a brief joint statement saying that they do not support Hong Kong independence. The content of the statement is so empty and it is clear that they don’t have consensus. It does not address the context and has not explained their reasoning behind the statement. There is no content and it only serves the purpose of expressing loyalty. Obviously, the statement is in response to political pressure as the clearest message in the statement is, “We do not support Hong Kong independence.” One concrete example of such political pressure emerged when Leonard Cheng, the head of Lingnan University, said students could discuss Hong Kong Independence in campus.