HONG KONG — Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor will not attend graduation ceremonies at any of the eight publicly funded universities that she is chancellor of, as violent anti-government protests continue to grip Hong Kong.

The Chief Executive’s Office confirmed to the Post on Monday (Oct 29) that she was “not planning” to attend any graduation ceremonies this year. A government source said there were various reasons for the decision, including concerns over “the order of the ceremony”.

Sources from all eight publicly funded institutions, including official statements from Baptist University and Chinese University, also confirmed Ms Lam would not be taking part.

The city’s publicly funded universities have typically held their annual ceremonies between late October and early December.

In recent years, they have been popular outlets for students to express political opinion and stage protests. In 2014, amid the Occupy Movement protests, graduates chanted slogans and held up banners and the symbolic umbrellas.

This year, after five straight months of protests and social unrest, student groups have again planned protests: Polytechnic University students have called for graduates to wear masks with their graduation gowns during a faculty based ceremony on Wednesday and Chinese University students have called for a march before the ceremonies on Nov 7.

On Sunday, two Polytechnic University doctoral graduates were refused a handshake from president Teng Jin-guang when they walked up to the stage wearing face masks, which have become a symbol of defiance against the government’s response to the unrest.

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology had planned to hold its ceremony indoors instead of outdoors due to “security reasons”, its student union said on Saturday. But the decision was reversed on Monday after 700 students and alumni signed a petition demanding it be held outside.

A key role of Hong Kong’s chief executive has been to assume the role of chancellor of all eight publicly funded universities – a practice that started under the former British colonial government when governors held the responsibility.

The chief executive has in the past selectively chosen which ceremonies to attend each year, the Post understands. In 2017, Ms Lam attended events at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Education University. Last year, she appeared at Polytechnic University and Lingnan University.

In April this year, two months before the citywide protests started, Ms Lam attended an honorary degree ceremony at the University of Hong Kong for four recipients, including Chief Justice Geoffrey Ma Tao-li.

But practice varies across universities whether to invite the chief executive to their ceremony. A university source said in previous years, invitations were sent to the Chief Executive’s Office months ahead of the ceremony because confirmation usually did not arrive until about a month beforehand.

However, a source from another university said no formal invitation was sent in past years, because it was up to the chief executive to indicate whether they would attend.

However, it is not the first time Hong Kong’s chief executive has decided not to attend any of the universities’ ceremonies.

In 2015, one year after the Occupy Movement in 2014, former leader Leung Chun-ying opted not attend any of the events amid calls for him to step down as chancellor. SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST