On December 5, 2025, Hong Kong Baptist University suspended the operations of its student union after they publicly expressed condolences for a deadly apartment building fire.
In November 2025, a fire broke out in a Tai Po apartment building and burned for 42 hours, killing 168 people and injuring 79. Following the event, students and residents across Hong Kong mobilized to call for accountability and condolence.
Following the fire, the HKBU student union created a “democracy wall” on their notice board expressing condolences for those killed in the Tai Po fire. On December 2, 2025, social media users circulated a photo of a message posted on the board, that said: “Deep condolences to the deceased from the Wang Fuk Court fire. We are Hongkongers. We urge the government to heed public concerns. Respond to public’s requests. Justice must be served.”
On December 4, 2025, university security blocked off the wall where the notice board was located with tall barricades. The following day, HKBU authorities ordered the student union to suspend its operations “with immediate effect until further notice,” alleging a low membership rate, lack of a “strong commitment” to improve the welfare of students, and failure to “abide by the regulations” of the university on financial matters, as reasons for the indefinite suspension. Under the suspension, the university will take over all facilities managed by the union, including the notice board.
Scholars at Risk is concerned about the suspension of a student group in apparent retaliation for the peaceful exercise of the rights to freedom of expression. University authorities have a responsibility not to interfere with expressive activity on campus, so long as it is undertaken peacefully and responsibly. Where alleged violations of university policy do occur, authorities have an obligation to ensure due process, transparency, fairness, and proportionality when engaging in disciplinary action, and should avoid punishments that effectively restrict future expressive activity. University actions limiting the rights to free expression or association on campus have a chilling effect on academic freedom and university autonomy, and undermine democratic society generally.
Sources:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12/5/hong-kong-student-union-suspended-over-calls-for-justice-for-fire-victims
https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20251206052705881