Hong Kong Community College lecturer replaced after anti-protester comments prompt heckling and tense stand-off in classroom

Chan Wai-keung, a lecturer for 14 years and a newspaper columnist, was surrounded and heckled by more than 100 students

But he refuses to be silenced or stop writing, saying ‘Everyone is entitled to his or her views’

Reading Time:3 minutes

Chan Wai-keung, a lecturer at Hong Kong Community College, was surrounded by student protesters on Tuesday following anti-protest remarks. Photo: Facebook

Published: 11:00pm, 9 Oct 2019Updated: 8:36am, 10 Oct 2019

A veteran lecturer at Hong Kong Community College has been replaced after his criticism of anti-government protesters prompted more than 100 students to surround and heckle him in his classroom.

The school’s management confirmed the move to replace Chan Wai-keung on Wednesday during a dialogue session with students at its West Kowloon campus in Yau Ma Tei. Simon Leung Tak-wing, the director of postsecondary school, told students that Chan’s teaching duties would be immediately taken over by another instructor.

But Chan, a lecturer at the school for 14 years and a newspaper columnist, remained defiant on Wednesday, saying he would not be silenced. He declined, however, to comment on being replaced by Hong Kong Community College, which is a self-financed extension of Polytechnic University.

The dispute started last Saturday when Chan’s remarks were quoted in the Oriental Daily News. He told the Chinese-language newspaper that the punishment for breaking the government’s new anti-mask law – of up to one year in prison and a maximum HK$25,000 (US$3,187) fine – was “not enough”. He also said the city courts should “give heavy sentences to violent protesters”.

Students were enraged by his comments and issued a call on LIHKG for a demonstration at Chan’s classroom. More than 100 showed up on Tuesday and surrounded Chan during his two-hour lecture on Chinese and Western Cultures.

Online videos showed students chanting slogans and shouting profanities at Chan, while others aimed laser pointers at him. Chan was besieged for hours despite repeatedly saying he wanted to leave, according to the video.