The president of the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s student union has applied for an interim injunction to prevent police from entering campus without a warrant after heated clashes last night between police and protesters turned the campus into a war zone.
Ming Pao reports that the injunction would forbid police from entering campus without a warrant or the school’s approval, and would also prevent police from using crowd control weapons such as tear gas and rubber bullets at the university.
Speaking to reporters gathered outside the High Court this morning, student union President Jacky So accused police of using excessive force on students.
“I think that it’s ridiculous and also unacceptable, and I can’t understand why they would just enter the [parts of] campus [where] there was no protesters,” he said.
He said the police actions last night endangered campus safety, and he hoped that by applying for the injunction, police will be prevented from causing more damage on campus, and respect the city’s institutions of higher education and academic freedom.
The newspaper reports that the High Court held a closed-door meeting this morning, and will deal with the case at 5pm. So is represented by senior counsel and former lawmaker Audrey Eu, pro-democracy lawmaker and barrister Alvin Yeung, and barrister Jeffrey Tam. The case is being heard by judge Wilson Chan.
Last night’s pitched battles at the CUHK campus in Sha Tin have been described as some of the worst seen in the city since protests began. Tensions between police and anti-government demonstrators have been heightened in recent days following the death of a 22-year-old student who succumbed to injuries sustained in a fall at a car park during a police dispersal operation in Tseung Kwan O, as well as the shooting of protester with live ammunition on Monday morning.
This morning protesters continued to disrupt public transport, with two lines — East Rail line and Tsuen Wan line — completely shut down.
As of press time, office workers had gathered again in Central for the third day running for an impromptu lunchtime protest.
Hong Kong's lunch time protesters have returned to the streets of the central business district for the third day in a row pic.twitter.com/SR65fuKzxi
— Ben Westcott (@Ben_Westcott) November 13, 2019
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