Newcastle University are bringing exchange students in Hong Kong back to the UK

Newcastle University are bringing students who are in Hong Kong for study abroad and industrial placements years back to the UK due to concerns over their safety.

This comes after a wave of protests and demonstrations of civil disobedience have been taking place across Hong Kong, in protest with the Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill (Anti-ELAB movement).

A Newcastle University student who spoke to The Tab Newcastle described how since the movements began, the University have been emailing "about once a month" to monitor the safety of students in Hong Kong.

The student told The Newcastle Tab: "So they email me about once a month checking in to see if I'm safe. They have emailed me quite frequently in the last few weeks. They also emailed my manager at work yesterday to see how the company is dealing with the protests/disruptions."

A Newcastle University spokesperson said: “We currently have five undergraduate students on exchange placements in Hong Kong and one on a work placement in the region.

"We have contacted these students and all of them have been given the option to return home. Returning to the UK will not adversely impact on their studies and the students will be financially supported for the flight should they wish to return early.

“The health and wellbeing of our students and staff are always our priority. As a global university, we have a large network of teams who work closely together to support any students and staff affected by personal or world events, whether they be here in the UK or abroad.”