The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has removed copies of the University Community Press from campus, saying the student publication was “unauthorised” and could not be displayed without permission.
The University Community Press was not affiliated with CUHK and was not recognised by the university, CUHK told HKFP last Friday. The statement came a few days after the student editorial team announced that it would suspend the supply of physical copies of the publication until further notice.
Ex-student union publication
The publication, formerly known as CUHK Student Press, was managed by the student union before the body was forced to shutter in 2021. CUHK at the time accused student representatives of making potentially illegal remarks on national security matters and said they had “exploited the campus for their political propaganda.”
Since Beijing imposed the sweeping national security law on the city in June 2020 – criminalising secession, subversion, collusion with foreign forces and terrorism – a number of Hong Kong’s government-funded universities have cut ties with their students’ unions.
The CUHK Student Press announced adopting a new name in 2022, saying the disbanding of the student union meant they had to register with the university again. Their new logo features the publication’s old name with parts being added and crossed out.
‘Suppression of student autonomy’
In the March edition of University Community Press online, the student editors said many CUHK student bodies were facing pressure from the requirement of registering as an independent body with the police and assume legal responsibility for itself. The editorial board could not guarantee the publication could be published smoothly, but said it would “continue to write without hesitation.”
“The reconstruction of the university student union remains a distant prospect. Under the suppression of student autonomy and a lack of resources, how long can the newspaper be sustained?” the editors wrote in Chinese.
“Whether this will be the last physical publication of the student newspaper remains unknown,” they added.
In response to HKFP enquiries, CUHK said last Friday that the university did not provide funding or administrative support to the student publication.
“The University reminds students that unauthorised items or publications displayed without permission within the campus will be removed,” an email reply from the university read.
In January, the student union of CW Chu College announced that it would halt its operations, after representatives said CUHK’s requirement of registering as a legal society with the police prompted “unprecedented risks and responsibilities.”
CUHK responded at the time that registering with the police under the Societies or Companies Ordinance provided a “well-established, legally mandated framework for the unions.” The university was willing to work with student unions given that their actions and incorporation were legally compliant, it said.
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