Hong Kong protests: teachers who criticised government on social media say they are living in fear

A teacher says mere expression of personal feelings about prevailing political situation among friends on social media may also prove costly

Primary school teacher and pro-democracy district councillor Law Pei-lee terms it white terror, though Education Bureau says it handles each case carefully

Chan Ho-him  10 Feb, 2020


Teachers and their supporters at an anti-government protest at Edinburgh Place in Central. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

When Charlie Chow shared on Facebook criticisms against the government during the
extradition bill protests last summer, the teacher did not expect the messages would cause a series of problems several months later.


Chow, who agreed to speak only using a pseudonym, was among 32 teachers who were penalised by the Education Bureau between June and December last year – either with warning, condemnation and advisory letters, or verbal reminders. The letters warned them if they were to commit professional misconduct again, they might risk losing their jobs.


Latest figures from the bureau showed that out of the 147 complaints they received between June and December, wrongdoings had been confirmed in 65. Some 32 cases have been closed, with follow-up actions taken.

Teachers protest against the Education Bureau’s handling of protest-related cases in Hong Kong on January 3. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

Chow, who has five years’ teaching experience, recalled the complainer had written a letter directly to the bureau. The complainer’s identity has not been revealed.

“When I wrote the comments, I was merely expressing some of my feelings about the prevailing political situation, but the complainer saw it differently and felt it was inappropriate,” Chow said.

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The bureau later concluded some social media posts Chow shared on Facebook were inappropriate.

But Chow said while some of the Facebook posts criticised the government’s policies, they were mild and there were no insults, hate speech, or foul remarks.

The posts were also strictly for Facebook friends, who did not include any students or their parents, the teacher added.

Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung warned teachers that remarks made in private domains could also be subjected to professional misconduct. Photo: Winson Wong


“I don’t know how the complainer could have got that information.



“I felt so sad and angry. A teacher should also be able to enjoy basic freedom of speech on private social media platforms, but now I feel like the freedom to be able to express myself has been compromised,” Chow said.

I felt so sad and angry. A teacher should also be able to enjoy basic freedom of speech on private social media platformsCharlie Chow (name changed), teacher


Chow was among more than 20 teachers who complained to Professional Teachers’ Union, the biggest teachers’ union in Hong Kong, representing about 85 per cent of educators.

Most of these cases involved remarks made on social media, with nine teachers getting warning, condemnation and advisory letters from the bureau.

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The union criticised the bureau for not giving clear examples of remarks which could constitute professional misconduct, which made it difficult for teachers to follow a set practice.

The city’s anti-government protests erupted in June last year, triggered by the now-withdrawn extradition bill, and turned into wider and increasingly violent demonstrations seeking greater democracy and police accountability.


Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung Yun-hung had earlier warned teachers that remarks made in private domains could also be subjected to professional misconduct, because they could reflect their value judgments and personalities.

Causeway Bay bookseller Lam Wing-kee who was detained in mainland China. Photo: Edmond So


Another educator against whom complaint was lodged was Law Pei-lee, a primary school teacher for 27 years, who has now been elected a pro-democracy district councillor.


She said her school was notified by the bureau last September after a parent complained that she had been “spreading fears and bias among young students”.

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She said the letter claimed that she praised students who had joined protests and talked in class about the case of Lam Wing-kee, a Causeway Bay bookseller
who went missing and was later found in mainland custody three years ago.

Law dismissed the accusation she had praised students who took part in protests, but admitted she had told students about Lam during a lesson which was “based on pure facts”. She also said the letter described her as a liberal studies teacher, but the subject was not taught at primary schools.

“The school management believed in me, but the bureau asked for a second and third explanation on the matter,” Law said. Follow-up actions by the bureau are still pending and she is worried about her future.

It’s white terror when the investigation has been going on for months and you’re unsure whether anything would happenLaw Pei-lee, primary school teacher

“It’s white terror when the investigation has been going on for months and you’re unsure whether anything would happen. The same has also happened to other teachers.”

The bureau told the Post it would not comment on individual cases, but said it had handled each complaint carefully and considered all evidence and information thoroughly.