Outrage as school shows Nanjing massacre’s unsettling video to young kids in Hong Kong

In what can be called going way too far in following a directive, a primary school in Hong Kong showed young children an unsettling video of the Nanjing massacre.  

This comes as the Education Bureau had asked local schools to hold activities to commemorate the massacre last month.  

After facing backlash over the development, the school has apologised. On watching the video, the students, who were as young as six, were left in tears.  

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These developments come as the country is look to mark Nanjing massacre’s 84th anniversary on Monday.  

In the footage shown by the Po Leung Kuk Hong Kong Taoist Association Yuen Yuen primary school, executions were being held during the Nanjing massacre.   

The five-minute clip was shown during a class on moral and civic education, as per local media reports.  

The clip was taken from an RTHK documentary on the massacre. It showed how Japanese soldiers executed civilians. Piles of corpses, including babies, were also seen.   

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This clip was also included in the suggested teaching materials for marking the massacre by Education Bureau.  

Over the incident, the school “expressed regret” after getting complaints from parents.   

“We have learned that some children felt disturbed. Our school from now on will be much more cautious, carefully consider children’s feelings, and adjust the teaching materials according to each grade,” the school said.   

(With inputs from agencies)