Study that paid students to join Hong Kong July 1 march sparks controversy, with pro-establishment critics claiming it is evidence foreign forces tried to incite ‘colour revolution’ in city
- Hong Kong University of Science and Technology says it never approved the paying of students to join a 2017 annual march
- Opposition activists urge caution, saying protests in Hong Kong were triggered by people’s grievances
An international study on social activism, which involved a Hong Kong university, has sparked controversy in political and academic circles, with pro-establishment critics describing it as evidence foreign forces had tried to incite a “colour revolution” in the city.
Opposition activists urged caution, saying protests in Hong Kong were triggered by people’s grievances, and the pro-government camp should not lay blame on the young.
The study was conducted by five economics professors – four from the United States and Europe, and another, Jane Zhang, who left HKUST in 2019 and is now an associate professor in Australia.
The research team recruited a total of 849 students from HKUST, and divided them into two sections, known as the control and treatment groups.
