Tensions Mount on Black Bloc Day at LSE
Between 1:55 and 2:05 on Thursday, October 31st, the LSE Students Alliance for Hong Kong began and ended their demonstration of solidarity with student protestors in Hong Kong who they said have faced “an unprecedented amount of oppression” at the hands of the Chinese government. Over 70 students participated in what the alliance called a ‘photo op.’ Dressed in all black and wearing face-obscuring masks, the students stood on the stairs outside the New Academic Building for a group picture. They held up five fingers for the five demands of the Hong Kong protests, which include an independent inquiry into police conduct and brutality, amnesty for arrested protestors, and a restart to the halted electoral reforms in Hong Kong.
Theresa*, a member of the alliance, said, “It is not about how short our demonstration was, it’s about the impact we will have.” They plan to use the photo for their online campaigns and share it with local UK and Hong Kong media. The primary reasons for keeping the demonstration this short were safety and accessibility: “It was only 10 minutes and in between classes because this is a student campus. We wanted to make sure there was a lower cost of engagement for students who want to do something but do not want to commit to an hour-long session. Also, if it had been that long — a lot could go wrong.”
Theresa said they expected counter-protests as there has been violent backlash at other universities in the UK and around the world. Protestors at Sheffield University allegedly had a beer bottle thrown at them. “I was nervous in the lead up to it. There was a group of mainland students looking, and there was a non-student reporter interviewing students who were visibly not from Hong Kong.” A masked Chinese man in black filmed the entire event, including speeches given by unmasked organisers. The alliance said, “He was not from our campaign group and we do not know what the footage is for.”
A day before the demonstration, the Chinese Students and Scholars Association chapter at LSE released a statement on WeChat accusing the event of “violating school policies.” They had emailed the Director’s office and received a response from Minouche’s executive assistant saying, “This is not an event officially organised by LSE.” They have since amended their statement as Black Bloc Day was supported by the SU Campaigns Fund and officially endorsed by LSESU. The alliance said in a press release that the majority of the SU student executive voted in favour of supporting their campaign.
CSSA is the official organisation of students studying outside of the People’s Republic of China and provides social services and support to its members. CSSAs in the US, Australia and New Zealand were accused of participating in Beijing’s “United Front” work by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission in a 2018 report. CSSAs have been shown, in investigations carried out by the New York Times, Forbes, and others, to coordinate with the government in the intimidation and surveillance of Chinese student activists abroad. The LSESU chapter was suspended last year for violating SU bylaws and using a non-SU bank account. They now operate outside of the SU’s jurisdiction.
CSSA said they would not be organising any rallies to counter Black Bloc Day, although according to them, the alliance’s event “severely impacts the wellbeing of Chinese students at LSE.” Their statement asked that “everyone act respectfully, as is expected of people from an ancient and cultured nation.”
“We will strictly abide, as our bottom line, the principles of one country, two systems, a high degree of autonomy, Hong Kong People ruling Hong Kong national policy,” CSSA clarified in their statement.
“As overseas Chinese students, we are by right patriotic. However, we must remember to demonstrate the high level of civility expected of Chinese people and to turn the other cheek to violence, not to respond to insults or jeers but with logic and sound arguments.”
Theresa responded to this statement saying: “It kind of paints a picture of who we are and what we do in a slightly unfair way. Nobody was doing anything violent. However, the message for peace is also there.”
After the demonstration, the Black Bloc Day posters outside the Saw Swee Hock building were covered by handmade posters saying, “Hong Kong is part of China!!” The campaign responded with memes on Facebook that evening: “We know.” They said the protests are not about separatism and that such responses misconstrue the demands of the Hong Kong protestors.
LSE student Calvin Fang defended the poster in a Facebook comment, saying it isn’t accusing the campaign of being separatists: “It is a reminder. A reminder that we are all one and that there shouldn’t be any hate.”
Victoria*, student and member of the alliance responded: “It is a sentence used to dismiss us, to intimidate us, to shame us, to silence us.”
All posters on that wall of the SU have since been taken down.
“This event is the first of a series of activities that will be organised on campus,” said the alliance.
Last night, Monday 11 November, posters were stuck onto one of the sides of the LSE Globe sculpture forming an SOS message. The posters read “Murder #hongkongprotests” and had been removed by the next morning.
The LSE Students Alliance for Hong Kong’s campaign name is provisional.
*Theresa and Victoria have chosen to withhold their last names for safety reasons.
