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

In a Hong Kong engulfed by the months-long protest and where radical protesters demand absolute freedom, one cannot even finish talks without being rudely interrupted by those holding different political views. 

In an open dialogue initiated by Vice-Chancellor and President of Chinese University of Hong Kong Rocky S. Tuan with students on Thursday evening aimed at ironing out differences, Tuan was constantly interrupted while trying to address the current social issues that are spreading on campus.

Hundreds of students attended the open dialogue at Sir Run Run Shaw Hall. Many wore masks and carried laser pens. 

"It's absolutely not acceptable for online doxxing and attacking others verbally, and students should express their views in a rational way," said Tuan, but he was interrupted by radical students who aimed laser pointers at him and yelled protest slogans, common tactics used by anti-government protesters in the four months of social unrest.

On one occasion, the students just interrupted the president and stood up and sang the anti-government protest theme song, "Glory to Hong Kong."

Some students from the mainland applauded after Tuan responded to students' questions, in an attempt to show respect to the professor. However, radicals took photos of those who clapped for Tuan. Afraid of retaliation and doxxing, the mainland students left before the dialogue ended.

When a female student from the mainland asked the president questions, local students just shouted, trying to stop her. While the girl said some Hong Kong students are destroying the rule of law and freedom, many mainland students at the scene applauded, local students became angry and some tried to take photos of her. 

Doxxing and exposing private information online are common way of retaliation radical protesters in Hong Kong use against people holding different views. 

The dialogue ended up in chaos.

At another dialogue with students on October 3, Tuan was assaulted and humiliated by a group of students who called for a campus strike. 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 showed.

Chan Cheuk-hay, president of Hong Kong College of Technology's Institute of Higher Education, told the Global Times that the number of radical students is still relatively small. However, street violence has spilled over to the campus, and radicals attack others voicing different opinions, which is "heartbreaking." 

Campus mayhem

Insulting teachers, assaulting mainland students, and turning schools into political battlegrounds have become commonplace in Hong Kong's supposedly prestigious universities, and young Hong Kong students have turned to street violence.

Chan Wai-keung, a lecturer for 14 years at Hong Kong Community College, a subsidiary of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, was surrounded and heckled by more than 100 students for five hours on Wednesday during a dialogue session, after he was quoted in a Chinese-language newspaper saying that the punishment for breaking the government's newly enacted anti-mask law - up to one year imprisonment and a maximum HK$25,000 ($3,190) fine - was "not enough." He also called for stricter penalties on anti-government protesters.

His comments enraged some local students, who yelled intimidating slogans and pointed laser pens at him.

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

"A place needs redecorating" is a phrase used by rioters 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 government or the police. 

The Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers released a statement on Wednesday's incident at Hong Kong Community College. It condemned the students' actions, saying they have disrespected the teachers, jeopardized freedom of expression and threatened the safety of teachers.

"It shouldn't be how university students behave, and it is disappointing," said the statement.

The Hong Kong Education Bureau replied to the Global Times Thursday regarding campus violence, saying that each college and university should be responsible in dealing with protests and clashes and hold students accountable in accordance with due mechanisms and disciplines. 

The bureau also expressed regret over the clash at Hong Kong Community College, and said any verbal or physical violence is unacceptable.

The tense atmosphere also prevailed on October 1, China's National Day, at CUHK. 

According to a WeChat blog post from a junior mainland student studying at the CUHK business school, the student said she and her two roommates, who are also from the mainland, were harassed by local Hong Kong students who support the protests after they put up a Chinese national flag outside the window of their dormitory room on the night of September 30. 

From verbal threats on social media to offline assault and vandalism, local students cursed at her and some even tried to break into her room, which was shocking and terrifying, the mainland student said.

CUHK was among the most active among Hong Kong universities in terms of the number and intensity of students taking part in protests. On September 2, the first day of the new semester, thousands of Hong Kong students rallied at CUHK and chanted slogans, filling up the main library area in a sea of black.

CUHK's main library area has also become a venue for local students to practice attack skills during protests, as pairs of students, wearing masks and helmets, would be seen practicing hitting each other, apparently to prepare to fight the police during potential confrontations.

Chan from Hong Kong College of Technology believes that Hong Kong's education system faces long-term challenges, and an urgent solution is needed, including drawing clear boundaries to violence and differentiating between right and wrong. 

"It doesn't take much for immature young students to get engaged, while administrators and teachers should reason with them," Chan added.

Yan Hong, a professor at Hong Kong Community College, told the Global Times that he would teach students not to hurt others at political gathering or protests. 

"Hurting others is hurting oneself. If they beat other people, they could be jailed. If they are beaten, they would be hospitalized. In whatever circumstance, they are risking their future," Yan said.