UC Santa Cruz To Politicians: Protect Hong Kong Students

SANTA CRUZ, CA — A University of California, Santa Cruz campus group was among signatories of a letter that urged politicians take action to protect Hong Kong protesters.. The letter, signed by the UCSC Hong Kong Affairs Concern Group and other American academic groups and institutions, had been retweeted nearly 2,000 times on Twitter as of Thursday morning.

The Sacramento Bee reported Thursday that signatories asked policymakers in America and around the world to "call off violent crackdown of pro-democracy protesters," many of whom are students, according to the letter. It referenced the days-long standoff between Hong Kong police and protesters at Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

"Anyone on the Polytechnic University campus, including students, professors, emergency workers, journalists, passersby, and even first aid providers are now being targeted indiscriminately by the hands of lawless and vindictive police officers," the letter says.

The letter called on U.S. politicians to pass the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, which aims to impose sanctions and travel restrictions on people who intentionally violate human rights. An editorial in the Chinese government-owned People's Daily called the bill "a piece of waste paper" and "a serious provocation against the entire Chinese people."

The bill passed the U.S. House and Senate this week, and was on President Donald Trump's desk Thursday.

Read The Sacramento Bee's full report or read the letter in its entirety below: