U.S. consulate condemns Hong Kong's government for 'repression' of Independence Day celebrations

HONG KONG — The U.S. consulate successful Hong Kong connected Tuesday condemned the city’s authorities for what it called repression of U.S. Independence Day celebrations aft section acquisition authorities reportedly cautioned teachers and students not to be events marking the time and organized by American diplomats.

The consulate accused the Hong Kong authorities of interfering with U.S. Consulate General-hosted events, saying U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide observe Independence Day each twelvemonth by hosting receptions and different festivities.

“We condemn the Hong Kong government’s repression of U.S. Independence Day celebrations,” it said successful an emailed reply to The Associated Press. “Its attempts to qualify these activities arsenic ‘unlawful’ lone further reveals its insecurity and fearfulness of freedom.”

The consulate’s disapproval came days aft a Facebook page, “Edu Lancet,” reported that the city’s acquisition authorities had sent “friendly reminders” to aggregate schools asking teachers not to “casually join” the consulate’s events and beryllium cautious astir violating the nationalist information law. The reminder besides asked the schools to discourage their students from joining the festivities, it said.

The Associated Press could not independently verify the claims by the Facebook page, which often provides updates astir the acquisition sector. A section English-language newspaper, the South China Morning Post, besides reported that authorities had reminded schools to beryllium vigilant astir immoderate attempts to beforehand U.S. Independence Day celebrations connected campus.

The city’s acquisition bureau, successful effect to media queries, said it issued administrative and acquisition guidelines to schools, requiring them to instrumentality their ain measures to safeguard nationalist security, but did not corroborate the reported quality of the reminders.

“Schools person the work to beryllium bully gatekeepers and to heighten the sensitivity of teachers and students to nationalist security,” it said.

Hong Kong Secretary for Security Chris Tang antecedently accused the laminitis of the Facebook page, Hans Yeung, of seizing opportunities to incite part successful nine successful a media interrogation published successful March.

Beijing imposed the nationalist information law connected Hong Kong successful 2020 pursuing monolithic anti-government protests successful 2019, saying the authorities was indispensable to instrumentality stableness to the city.

Under the law, dozens of starring activists were prosecuted oregon jailed while others fled. Fears astir the instrumentality drove galore middle-class families and young professionals to emigrate elsewhere.