UPDATED: 8:00 p.m.

Syracuse University will end this semester’s Hong Kong abroad program early due to intensifying civil unrest in the territory, Chancellor Kent Syverud announced Wednesday night.

SU’s partner campus, City University of Hong Kong, has been the site of recent protests, including a fire at one of the university’s academic buildings, said Sarah Scalese, senior associate president for university communications, in a statement to The Daily Orange. No SU students or staff were injured.

“This was not an easy decision,” Syverud said. “While we do not believe our students are in imminent danger, safety and security conditions are deteriorating in Hong Kong.

Most universities in Hong Kong have cancelled classes or suspended programs for the rest of the semester, Syverud said. Until recently, protests were localized and SU students remained safe. However, increasingly violent protests have disrupted mobility and public transportation, the chancellor said.

SU will ensure that students are able to complete required academic work. All students will leave Hong Kong by Tuesday.

No SU students were near the City University of Hong Kong campus because most have finished their courses and are now doing an independent research project, said Brian Bauer, a sophomore studying through the Hong Kong program.

“I am grateful for the tireless work that our Hong Kong center team has done on behalf of our students,” the chancellor said. “They have provided exceptional support under very challenging circumstances.”

Dozens of SU students were studying abroad in Hong Kong in September. The protests began on June 9 with a march against an extradition law proposed by the local government. The law would allow individuals who committed a crime to be sent to countries that Hong Kong doesn’t have a formal extradition treaty with, including China.

The British Empire ruled Hong Kong as a colony until 1997, when Britain returned it to China as a special administrative region. Since then, China promised 50 years of “a high degree of autonomy,” including free speech, free press and capitalist markets. However, Hong Kong residents have said China is beginning to infringe on the city’s rights even though the promise of autonomy is not set to end until 2047.

Syverud said SU Abroad is registering students for the spring 2020 semester at the Hong Kong Center on the condition that security conditions improve.

Students at SU’s program in Santiago, Chile, have also experienced protests as city residents protest the high cost of living. The Santiago center didn’t cancel classes, but those at partner universities were temporarily canceled.

— Asst. Digital Editor Natalie Rubio-Licht contributed reporting to this article. 

— This post was updated with additional reporting. 

Published on November 13, 2019 at 4:11 pm

Contact Casey: [email protected] | @caseydarnell_