Student protesters stand on the table and threw “hell money” on the face of Rocky S. Tuan, President of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Photo: Screenshot of YouTube video

A college professor in Hong Kong who supports the newly enacted anti-mask law was held up by a group of students who verbally insulted him and pointed laser pen toward him, turning the classroom into a battleground. 

The professor, Chan Wai-keung, reportedly teaches at Hong Kong Community College, a subsidiary of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He made comments in support of the anti-mask law and stricter penalties on anti-government protesters inciting riots, which outraged some students in the classroom, according to local media. 

According to footage circulating online, Chan was held up by students pointing laser pens at him. This is a common tactic used by anti-government protesters in recent months, which have escalated to riots.  

"Does your house need redecoration?... If you are afraid, don't come to the school then!" some students yelled at him. 

"A place needs redecoration" is a phrase rioters are using to imply their intent to vandalize a particular place or property by smashing it and spray-painting it with offensive slogans. They target shops where operators show support for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government or the police.  

Students also shouted out slogans for street protests in the classroom, offensively showing the middle finger to the professor. Chan later called the police and was escorted by the security guards out of the room, the video showed.  

Radical youth have taken their disgraceful methods of fighting for the so-called "freedom of speech" in the college classroom, observers said. 

Rocky S. Tuan, President of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), was also assaulted and humiliated by a group of students who called for a school strike, local media reported.  

Some asked the school to respond on whether to support an independent inquiry as part of Five Demands of anti-government protests, and whether it should call protesters rioters. 

Tuan was reportedly attacked by radical students for not responding their demands. 

Some student protesters even stood on the table and threw "hell money" on Tuan's face. They also besieged the administration building and shattered glass panels to "request dialogue," footage circulating online also showed.  

Some online users on Twitter labeled their behavior as disrespectful and said that CUHK students should be shameful about it. 

"I respect your freedom of speech, but you need to follow the rules… college is not a place for political battle," Tuan said. 

"Rioters do what rioters do. Funny how they keep proving they do not know what democracy and freedom of speech mean," a Twitter user said.