Hong Kong student refused diploma after umbrella protest

A graduating Hong Kong student has been filmed being refused his diploma after he opened a yellow umbrella on stage in a sign of protest.

Footage filmed by an audience member shows the male student pull out the umbrella – a symbol of Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement – to accept his award at the Hong Kong Baptist University graduation ceremony on Saturday.

Holding the umbrella high, he approaches the university's vice-chancellor with his other hand outstretched.

But the official declines, handing the testamur back to an assistant.

The student, who is yet to be identified, offers his hand to the vice-chancellor again only to be told to leave the stage.

Sina News reports a number of students in the auditorium followed suit, opening yellow umbrellas of their own.

Incensed, the vice-chancellor postponed the ceremony until the next morning, only to have the students do it all over again.

The yellow brolly has been a common feature at protests across the special economic zone of Hong Kong, which brought tens of thousands onto the streets in the so-called "umbrella movement".

According to a recent poll by CUHK, support of the Occupy movement has fallen from 37.8 percent last month to 33.9 percent, and 67.4 percent of those surveyed said that the activists should give up their protest immediately.

Author: Chloe Ross, Approving editor: Nicholas McCallum
Source: Sina News, CUHK