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ate topics in the name of “defending by applicants. The motions were versial amendment to the fugitive
freedom of speech”. then evaluated by a panel with offenders bill in February 2019. A
“The ulterior motive of attempt- members who have more than 10 public backlash sparks off protests
ing to politicise school campuses years of debating experience. They and now includes demands to fight
through this debate competition is examined the motions to see if they against the escalating police brutal-
obvious,” HKFEW says in a state- were debatable and whether the us- ity and the tightening grip of China.
ment issued on December 19 last age of wordings was accurate. Responding to the pull-out of 24
year. Hong Kong has been plagued schools from the contest in Decem-
The first-ever Hong Kong Second- by the anti-ELAB movement after ber 2019, HKSDF says in a written re-
ary School Debate Competition is or- the government proposed a contro- ply that they are disappointed with
ganised by the Hong Kong Schools
Debate Federation (HKSDF) with “
more than 120 participating schools. No school should be exposed to such
The application started in October
2019 when police and demonstra- pressure for doing something that has
tors were squaring off each other long been a major part of education
during the anti-ELAB movement.
Debate motions were proposed
”