80 teachers arrested in Hong Kong for protesting against government

Hong Kong: At least 80 teachers in Hong Kong have been arrested over their involvement in the anti-government protests, while at least four have resigned or were suspended, the city's Education Minister has revealed.

Addressing the media on Friday, Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung Yun-hung said that the latest fallout of the ongoing civil unrest has seen students make up for nearly 40 per cent of the 6,000 people arrested, reports the South China Morning Post.

According to the Education Bureau, there were 123 complaints of protest-related misconduct against teachers between mid-June and late November.

Among the 123 complaints, investigations had been completed in 74 cases, with wrongdoing confirmed in 13, and dismissed in another 30.

The remaining 31 cases were initially substantiated, but some are still being reviewed or waiting for explanations from the teachers involved, according to the Bureau.

Apart from the disciplinary action taken by the Bureau, Yeung said that some schools had also taken other action over the complaints like a demotion, postponement of salary increase, or transferring the teachers to another post.

He said that most of the complaints the bureau received were related to hate speech or provocative acts, while others involved inappropriate teaching materials or violation of the law.

Also on Friday, the Bureau issued a letter to principals and supervisors of primary and secondary schools listing how schools should handle cases of teachers arrested over the protests.

According to the police, 6,105 people had been arrested over the anti-government protests, sparked by the now-withdrawn extradition bill, since the first mass demonstration was staged on June 9.

Of all those arrested, 2,430 people, or 39.8 per cent, were students.