Hong Kong rallies against Chinese 'brainwashing'

HONG KONG - Tens of thousands of protesters paraded through Hong Kong Sunday waving placards denouncing "brainwashing" by China's ruling Communist Party and calling for the scrapping of plans for "national education" courses in local schools.

The protest, organized by local political organizations hostile to Beijing's one-party system, demonstrated deep opposition to the introduction of classes that aim to boost knowledge of China.

China recovered sovereignty over Hong Kong 15 year ago in a blaze of fireworks and patriotic fervor. It granted the metropolis a high degree of autonomy as a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, but it has grown frustrated that many in Hong Kong don't identify much with the rest of the country.

Though increasingly dependent economically on mainland China, Hong Kong, according to a recent opinion poll by Hong Kong University, now has less trust in the central government in Beijing than at any time since the 1997 handover. Separate polls show that bonds of shared identity with the rest of China have grown weaker, not stronger.

In an effort to narrow the gap, the Hong Kong government has proposed courses to instruct pupils about China's political system, geography and history and also the correct etiquette for raising the national flag.

Sunday's protesters decried this as brainwashing. A group of parents and their children waved a poster reading: "Our previous generations came here to escape the Communist Party, don't let the next generation return to the grip of the demon."

"I'm Chinese, but China is not the Communist Party," said Cyrus Chan, a 16-year-student at a local Roman Catholic high school. "Germans are taught about Nazi crimes. They know what happened. In China, students only learn how to praise the party," he said.

Hong Kong officials deny that the new courses -- due to start in primary schools later this year and secondary schools in 2013 -- will mimic "patriotic education" on the mainland, which is mostly silent on the party's bloody past.

National education was first proposed for Hong Kong in 2010 and prompted a storm of protest. Anger calmed after a lengthy period of assurances by the government that it would not dictate content and leave this up to teachers. But fury flared again recently after the publication of a government-funded textbook, "The China Model." The text, prepared by a pro-Beijing organization, describes the Communist Party as "selfless and united" and presents it as an indispensable agent for stability.

After marching to the Hong Kong government's main office complex, protesters chanted "down with brainwashing" and called for Education Secretary Eddie Ng's resignation. Police said about 19,000 people took part but the crowd appeared much larger. Organizers said more than 90,000 joined the march.

Source: http://www.startribune.com/world/164217266.html

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