“Quien siembra vientos, recoge tempestades”

A bookshop runs into trouble after holding what appears to be an informal Spanish class on its premises…

The owner of a Hong Kong independent bookstore has been accused of managing an unregistered school after holding a Spanish class at the shop earlier this year.

…[Owner Pong Yat-ming] stands accused of breaching the Education Ordinance by managing a school that was not registered or provisionally registered, according to the charge sheet.

The charge sheet also stated that he allowed somebody who was not a permitted teacher to teach at Book Punch. The individual’s name was given as Antonio Baro Montane.

Active Experiential Learning Company, the parent company of the bookshop, was charged with two offences – permitting an unregistered teacher to teach and owning an unregistered school

Sounds weird. All sorts of groups host lessons and training in all sorts of subjects, from swimming to Bible study. A store near my home offers classes in sausage-making. But here’s a clue…

…Book Punch and other local independent bookshops have been closely scrutinised by Hong Kong authorities in recent years. In July, a book fair featuring independent bookshops and publishers came under fire by Beijing-backed media outlet Wen Wei Po, which accused the organisers and participants of spreading “soft resistance” through a book fair.

Books with messages that “oppose China and disturb Hong Kong” were sold, the outlet reported.

In September, Book Punch said it was forced to cancel multiple events in the past two months due to “anonymous and false” complaints. The bookshop said some guests, such as university teaching staff and representatives of organisations, faced “top-down pressure” to withdraw from its events.

Shades of the tax audits of independent media. Why not just ban all bookshops that are not controlled by the authorities and be done with it?