CUHK Graduation Ceremony Cut Short After Protest

Face masks, protest slogans and a march on campus marked a graduation ceremony of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) on Thursday, before the event was eventually brought to an early close.

Hundreds of graduates in their ceremonial gowns wore face masks and hard hats and marched from the MTR station to the ceremony venue.

They carried placards and chanted slogans demanding the government respond to the five demands of protesters and reform the police force.

Ken, an English graduate who had joined the march wearing a Guy Fawkes mask, said the protest was to signal the anger of the students.

"It is a kind of symbol to represent the anger towards how the government treats its citizens, especially towards us, the young teenagers, and those who are from the university," he said.

The protests and chants continued after they reached the venue of the ceremony. Graduates turned their backs to the main stage and chanted “liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our time” as the national anthem played.

Patrick, a computer science graduate, appeared at the ceremony wearing goggles and a hard hat, resembling a frontline protester.

He said he wanted to show support to a seriously injured University of Science and Technology student, who also studies the same subject as him.

Patrick also said he has joined many protests in the past few months and will continue to take to the streets.

At one point during the university event, a Mandarin-speaking man brandished a knife and started singing the national anthem. He was taken away by security guards.

Students from CUHK have been vocal supporters of the anti-extradition bill protests, and some have also been arrested for taking part in them.

The university has come under fire from pro-Beijing supporters over this, saying it is producing “rioters”.

Meanwhile, a small number of students staged a protest outside the venue of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology's graduation ceremony, demanding that the institution do more to support students affected by the anti-extradition protests.

Some of the demonstrators chanted slogans like "liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times", while others held photos of the student who had been seriously injured after reportedly falling from height in Tseung Kwan O on Sunday night.

In his speech, the university's president, Wei Shyy, said HKUST will offer the student as much support as possible, adding that he hopes to see him return to lectures soon.

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