Riots in France | Multiple Hong Kong Schools Plan to Withdraw from iGEM Competition; Organiser Says Protests Are Common

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France has seen large-scale demonstrations and riots for several consecutive days, with large numbers of rioters "beating, smashing, looting and burning," some local Chinese-owned shops being ransacked, and curfews recently imposed in major cities such as Paris. The HKSAR Government issued a yellow outbound travel alert for France yesterday evening, calling on Hong Kong people planning to go or already there to pay attention to the situation, and reminding citizens to avoid protest areas unless necessary. It is understood that nearly 600 teachers and students from 32 secondary schools and universities in Hong Kong had originally planned to participate in the iGEM International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition in Paris next month. Some participating schools said the organiser described protests as common in France and not indicative of the whole city being in turmoil, insisting the competition would proceed as scheduled, but the schools were unwilling to take risks and had long planned to withdraw.

🧬 32 Schools, Nearly 600 Teachers and Students Originally Scheduled to Compete in Paris
iGEM is the world's largest and most influential biotechnology competition. This year's event will be held in Paris next month, with a record 464 teams registered and an estimated 11,000 participants. A total of 5 universities, 27 secondary schools and international schools in Hong Kong, with nearly 600 teachers and students, are participating, including prestigious schools such as Wah Yan College, Kowloon, St. Paul's College, Pui Ching Middle School, and Po Leung Kuk Ngan Po Ling College. Some teams are formed by students from multiple schools in joint-school teams; institutions such as The Chinese University of Hong Kong and The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology are also participating.

🗣️ Organiser Stresses Life Is Normal, Not Citywide Turmoil
It is understood that multiple participating schools in Hong Kong emailed the organiser a few days ago to ask whether the competition would be affected by the protests. The organiser replied that protests are "quite common" in France, concentrated in certain areas, stressing that the whole city is by no means in turmoil, describing daily life there as normal with public transport and services still operating, and that the Paris Porte de Versailles Exhibition Centre, where the competition is held, is far from the protest sites and preparations have not been affected. The organiser stressed the event will be held as scheduled from 13 to 16 November, but is continuing to monitor the situation and urged teams travelling to France to make appropriate arrangements. An unnamed secondary school principal criticised the organiser's wait-and-see attitude, saying frankly that given the deteriorating situation in France, the school had long planned to withdraw and cancel the trip: "We foresee the worst-case scenario and absolutely cannot let teachers and students take risks."

🏫 United Christian College (Kowloon East): High Chance of Being Unable to Go
United Christian College (Kowloon East) is participating with 1 teacher leading 9 students, originally scheduled to depart on the 10th of next month. Principal Cheng Kin-tak said there is a very high chance they will be unable to go, "the government has issued a travel alert, so the risk should be higher." He said the school will discuss follow-up arrangements with the responsible teacher and parents. The participation fee is paid by the school, while students' air tickets and accommodation are borne by parents, with the trip handled by a travel agency. He frankly acknowledged that parents will inevitably suffer losses, and the school will follow up. He added that the school has been in contact with the travel agency, "the other party said the area around the venue is relatively calm, and although the hotel and venue are within walking distance, for safety reasons they plan to take transport there, and no sightseeing will be arranged."

📞 Education Bureau and Immigration Department: Safety as the Top Priority
In response to multiple schools originally scheduled to participate in iGEM, the Education Bureau said it has always reminded schools that overseas study tours should prioritise safety, ensure the safety of all participants, and make appropriate adjustments according to factors such as the nature of the activity, participants' abilities or conditions, and the objective environment of the destination, maintaining communication with stakeholders and properly following up on exchange group arrangements. The authorities will continue to maintain close contact with the relevant schools and provide appropriate support and assistance. The Immigration Department said that regarding the recent protests in France and other European regions, it has not received any requests for assistance from Hong Kong people so far. The Immigration Department will continue to maintain contact with the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the HKSAR, Chinese embassies and consulates locally, and the Travel Industry Authority, and closely monitor developments.