Parents protest against China's "brainwashing" lessons.

Thousands of Hong Kong parents, pushing strollers alongside activists, protested against a plan to introduce a new subject nationwide, viewing it as brainwashing children with Chinese propaganda.

ParentsHong KongHe pushed his child to participate in a protest against China's plan to introduce a new subject in the curriculum.

China's education plan has sparked opposition in the community, with one teachers' union calling it "political interference" from the mainland.

Police said 19,000 people participated in the noisy protest, led by parents and students. Organizers have not yet released their estimate.“As a parent, I’m furious; this is clearly brainwashing,” said Sandra Wong, a mother of three, as she joined the protest with her husband and pushed her two-year-old in a stroller in the sweltering heat. “This is just a propaganda attempt by mainland China into Hong Kong schools.”

According to the proposed curriculum, students will spend 50 hours each year focusing on “building national harmony, unity, and solidarity among individuals,” the Chinese government stated.

The Chinese government has also rejected the criticism and said it will proceed with the plan, under which state-run primary schools will begin introducing the subject next September and it will become compulsory by 2015.

Officials said the subject is crucial for fostering national pride and unity.

"This brainwashing goes against the core values ​​of..."Hong Kong"We will neither support nor accept this," said Hong Kong Education Secretary Eddie Ng.

A survey conducted last year by the University of Hong Kong showed that the number of peopleHong KongThe number of people who consider themselves Chinese citizens has reached its lowest level in 13 years.

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