Hong Kong Watch launches report on patriotic education in Brussels

This week, Hong Kong Watch’s Head of Advocacy and Research Thomas Benson visited Brussels to brief the EU Commission, permanent representations, and Members of the European Parliament on our new research into ‘patriotic education’ indoctrination in Hong Kong schools and European investments into Chinese military companies. 

Mr Benson held a closed-door briefing on our patriotic education report, attended by consular representatives, senior NGO figures, academics, and staffers from Parliament. He also met with the European External Action Service (EEAS) and MEP offices including those of Rasa Juknevičienė MEP and Benedetta Scuderi MEP, as well as Engin Eroglu MEP. He discussed the risk posed by national security education measures in Hong Kong and the Patriotic Education Law to European students, the risks posed by the People’s Republic of China transnational information suppression, and the need to support independent media and a free information environment to push back against state propaganda.  

Our report will also be launched in Ottawa, and Washington, DC, later in November. This report and advocacy was made possible by a grant from the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (TFD).