全球38国家约2,400名国际学者及大学行政人员联署针对香港政府的声明，要求警察不要袭击大学校园。联署信指出，日前警察在既无搜查令，亦无明确拘捕对象下，仍然以催泪弹、橡胶弹等武器多番攻击中文大学校园一事，震惊全球学界，损害了大学作为公开探究、言论自由和教学场所的功能。敦促香港政府在处理当前危机时保持克制，强调大学在处理相关行为问题时，必须有灵活性和自主权，不应受警到察干预。只有持有搜查令之下，警察才可进入校园。
联署信提到，香港的大学向来是全球学府学术和学生交流的合作伙伴，但如果香港这种公然侵犯学术和知识自由的行为持续，威胁学生安全，可能不得不重新考虑与香港高学府的合作关系。
参加联署的包括剑桥、牛津、哈佛、哥大等全球著名大学的学者、行政人员、博士生、研究员、毕业生及学生。以下为全文。
International Academics and University Administrators’ Appeal to the Hong Kong Government:
Stop Police Attacks on University Campuses
November14,2019.
We are academics and university administrators at universities around the world. We express serious concerns about recent police attacks of university campuses with tear gas, rubber bullets and lead-bead rounds. Without clear targets of arrest nor search warrants, riot police stationed themselves on and around university property, provoking students with accusations of unlawful assembly. In the case of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, riot police stormed into campus and made arrests. The chaos that ensued have completely disrupted and undermined the functions of universities as sites of open inquiry, freedom of expression, and effective teaching.
We urge the Hong Kong Government to exercise restraint in managing the current crisis, ensuring that the Police follow proper protocol in executing their duties. Universities must have the flexibility and autonomy to deal with matters of conduct without police intrusion. Police should only enter campuses with search warrants.
We urge student protestors to exercise restraint in expressing their opinions and exercising their freedom of expression. We encourage them to envision non-violent means of communication as much as possible.
We have regarded universities in Hong Kong as global partners in academic and student exchanges. What we witness now is incompatible with our expectations of a world university. We may have to reconsider our partnerships with Hong Kong universities in the future if student’s safety is at risk and such blatant violation of academic and intellectual freedom continues.
——立场新闻
