Background:
The Hong Kong Federation of Students (HKFS) is an organization originally formed by 8 student unions of Hong Kong universities. After the failure of the Umbrella Movement, the HKFS was criticized for its failure in leadership, leading to missed opportunities to further the movement.
The localists who advocated for Hong Kong’s autonomy or even independence began to call for student unions to leave the HKFS as they believe that the HKFS’s mission to “build a democratic China” should no longer be a top priority of Hong Kong’spolitical agenda.
Details:
Referenda were held in five universities and eventually four universities (HKU, PolyU, CityU and BU) voted to leave the HKFS.
Consequences:
For the first time, the HKFS was absent from the candlelight vigil on the 26th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square Incident. This signified a split between the pan-democrats and the radicals among the student community.
News Report from South China Morning Post, 15 February 2015
News Report from South China Morning Post, 08 May 2015
Pro-Beijing commentary, Ta Kung Pao, 09 May 2015 (Chinese) (English-translated)
Pro-Democracy commentary, Apple Daily, 18 February 2015 (Chinese) (English-translated)