NATSA HK statement

The North American Taiwan Studies Association (NATSA) expresses our utmost concern over the millions of pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong. We condemn the use of disproportionate force and retaliatory brutality by the Hong Kong Police against protesters across Hong Kong. In particular, we denounce the extensive deployment of tear gas and other violent intimidation tactics on students at university campuses in Hong Kong.

We, Taiwan Studies scholars across the globe, stand in solidarity with Hong Kong. We also show our support for scholars of Hong Kong Studies. NATSA is committed to advancing Taiwan studies and creating room for ourselves and other fields that are silenced and censored by the government of the People’s Republic of China. Now more than ever, we seek to engage in dialogues with and create inclusive spaces for scholars of Hong Kong studies within NATSA in order to examine how Taiwan and Hong Kong studies intersect. We as scholars of Taiwan urge that concrete academic support to be given to scholars of marginalized fields including but not limited to Hong Kong studies, Tibetan studies, and Uyghur studies that are facing attacks on the ground of academic freedom globally. We welcome Hong Kong scholars to join our annual meetings and to brainstorm forms and contents of collaboration.

NATSA honors the principles of academic freedom, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly and association, and the responsibility of people with power to defend these basic values. We urge other academic organizations to follow through these demands and express support for Hong Kong’s movement for democracy.

(A concrete action that academics can take: Petition by Global Academics Against Police Brutality in Hong Kong -- https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdhBJ2VOGn0psuHEAhnduS1y_f5i3AETvLyU4KG3npw13lvoA/viewform?fbclid=IwAR1yPGmO8Q6W8i2UmBdh4X4x2_T90UtJIzhnP8RJTlY0ZUWPIz2VC52M7YQ)