Hong Kong officials distance themselves from Nanking footage

HONG KONG — Hong Kong officials distanced themselves from the screening of a 1937 Nanking massacre video successful a superior schoolhouse that near immoderate children successful tears, saying schools are not required to surface specified graphic footage.

The clip, which came from a documentary of the Nanking massacre, depicted Japanese soldiers sidesplitting civilians successful the erstwhile Chinese capital. China connected Monday marked the 80th day of the killings that near hundreds of civilians and disarmed soldiers dead.

“While learning past is of paramount importance, however to larn is thing that we volition defer to the acquisition sector, due to the fact that we person precise well-trained teachers, we person well-run schools,” Hong Kong person Carrie Lam said during a property league connected Tuesday.

The screening of the brutal and convulsive footage caused immoderate students to outcry and sparked complaints from parents, according to section media reports.

The schoolhouse progressive — Po Leung Kuk Hong Kong Taoist Association Yuen Yuen superior schoolhouse — said that it would cautiously see children’s feelings and set teaching materials accordingly.

The schoolhouse did not instantly respond to an email from The Associated Press seeking comment.

On Tuesday, Lam confirmed that the video screened successful the schoolhouse had been included successful a teaching materials checklist and that the acquisition section had a work to pass schools of the materials that are disposable successful the nationalist domain, but that determination was nary mandate that specified footage had to beryllium shown portion teaching students astir the Nanking massacre.

The massacre lasted from December 1937 to January 1938, with Japanese soldiers engaged successful the wide killings and rape successful Nanking.

Hong Kong authorities person included Chinese past arsenic a compulsory taxable and indicated that students volition besides larn astir nationalist security, pursuing the implementation of a nationalist information instrumentality successful the metropolis past twelvemonth successful effect to monolithic anti-government protests.

Lam has besides called for the strengthening of alleged patriotic acquisition successful schools, amid Beijing’s tightening grip connected the city.

Nanking, an past Chinese superior 320 kilometers (200 miles) westbound of Shanghai, is present commonly known arsenic Nanjing.