HONG KONG — Debates continued to rage online after a Hong Kong school principal was filmed verbally abusing two South Asian security guards in Singapore, with viewers divided over whether his behaviour reflected a lack of manners or racial bias.
Lee Cheuk-hing, the principal of San Wui Commercial Society Secondary School in Tuen Mun, was caught on camera behaving badly and swearing at two security guards during a school trip to Singapore last Friday.
While many criticised the principal's lack of courtesy, others raised concerns about possible racial bias, pointing to the apparent contrast in Lee's behaviour towards the two South Asian security guards compared with his interaction with a passer-by who appeared to be ethnically Chinese.
In the widely circulated video, Lee is seen arguing heatedly with the two guards over a parking issue involving the group's bus.
He is heard shouting "impolite", "shut up" and "go away" to the guards, while also swearing in Cantonese. The two female guards also appear visibly upset, pointing their fingers at Lee during the exchange.
Most online comments condemned Lee's conduct as unprofessional and discourteous.
But in the same video, Lee was noticeably more polite when interacting with a passer-by, who appeared to be ethnically Chinese.
"OK, I listen to you. You are very polite. I like you," he tells the woman in the video.
"It is dangerous for you to park here," the woman responds in Chinese, with Lee calmly asking her for guidance on where to park instead.
The apparent shift in tone fuelled accusations of racism, with a Reddit user commenting: "You just know he's speaking to them that way because of their race. As soon as he has to interact with the local Singaporeans of Chinese ethnicity, he changes his tone completely."
But others came to Lee's defence, suggesting that the security guards' emotional reaction may have contributed to the escalation of the dispute.
Dr John Tse Wing-ling, executive director of Hong Kong Initiative for Diversity, said it would be difficult to determine if Lee's behaviour was racially motivated.
However, he said that the principal had already set a bad example for students, by showing his "arrogance, contempt and abuse of others".
"When his behaviour raises concerns of racism, it becomes even more unacceptable."
Singaporean police have vowed to investigate the incident, and on Tuesday the school said it had suspended the principal "with immediate effect" after hearing evidence from Lee and staff who joined the trip.
Looking ahead, Tse said educators should be more culturally sensitive when leading overseas tour groups.
"One of the factors must be understanding their values and culture," he said, adding that Lee's behaviour stood in contrast to these objectives.
Allegations of sexism also emerged after another clip showing Lee interacting with female students on a coach went viral on Monday.
In the video, he is seen dropping a HK$1,000 note to see which student would pick it up.
"You see, women are this greedy," he is heard saying after one of the students reaches for the note.
It was not immediately clear if the clip was filmed during the same trip.
The footage drew further criticism online, with slamming him for promoting poor values to students.
