Hong Kong’s biggest teachers’ union quits alliance behind annual Tiananmen Square vigil, citing ‘worsening situation’
- Professional Teachers’ Union confirms it decided to quit Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China last month
- Alliance, which used to have more than 200 member groups, began seeing wave of withdrawals in April
The opposition-leaning Professional Teachers’ Union (PTU) confirmed to the Post on Thursday that it decided to quit the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China last month following a meeting of its 39-member executive committee.
“We made the decision grudgingly, but given the worsening situation we had to do so,” PTU president Fung Wai-wah said. “Following a discussion, the executive committee agreed to take the step collectively although we did not conduct a vote.”
He added: “But our stance on vindicating the 1989 June 4 crackdown remains unchanged … We do not rule out working together with the alliance sometime in the future, depending on the situation by that time.”
Alliance spokesman Simon Leung Kam-wai said he believed the union’s withdrawal would not have a significant impact on the group’s operation, but he respected its decision to quit.
