In the 2021 Hong Kong Standard Chartered Marathon, contestants were not allowed to participate in the event wearing attire bearing the words “Hong Kong, add oil.” A slogan that was widely used in the 2019 democracy movement.
The Marathon committee said it was a political message. And the police recorded the contestants’ information if there were wearing anything with the slogan.
In October 2022, a teacher sent towels printed with “Hong Kong, add oil” to his students as farewell souvenirs. The school found out and reported it to the police.
After he left the school in Sept. 2021, he founded a running club, “Sun’s Fellow Cross-country Club,” registered as SFCC for short. He continued giving training to the student from his previous school.
On Oct. 27, The teacher sent the students towels printed with “Hong Kong, add oil” and SFCC.
However, The school found the towels when students used them in school, and noticed the words “Hong Kong, add oil” printed on them; they called the police, and asked the students to forfeit the towels.
The school issued a notice on Oct. 27 saying that a former teacher at the school distributed to members of the long-distance running team, outside the school boundary, black towels bearing the abbreviated school name without its authorization.
The school claimed that “because the words and patterns printed on the towel are considered inappropriate” and that “the pattern on those towels may have legal risks,” it is “strongly recommended” that students do not use them and return all relevant items to the school for disposal as soon as possible. It also said it would reserve all rights to pursue further actions.
The teacher denied that claim, saying the school didn’t own the abbreviation or register the trademark in SFCC.
He also does not believe that “Hong Kong, add oil” breaches any law. His towel served as no more than just a farewell souvenir from him to the students.
