Name: Hong Kong protesters hold banned Tiananmen vigil as anthem law is passed
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Hong Kong protesters hold banned Tiananmen vigil as anthem law is passed

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This article is more than 2 years oldThis article is more than 2 years oldProtesters defy police ban as legislation prohibits mockery of Chinese anthemFirst published on Wed 3 Jun 2020 19.48 EDTThousands of people have defied a police ban in to mourn the victims of the Tiananmen Square massacre, after the city’s legislature passed a law criminalising the mockery of China’s national anthem.Many fear this year’s commemoration of the events of 4 June 1989 might be Hong Kong’s last, as has approved a plan to impose national security laws on the semi-autonomous city that would prevent and punish “acts and activities” that threaten national security.The police had for the first time in three decades banned the annual candlelight vigil in Victoria Park, citing the coronavirus pandemic.&nbsp;Unlike past years, no organised ceremony was allowed on Thursday as police refused to give activists a permit.&nbsp;Police loudhailers repeatedly played a message warning people against participating in unapproved gatherings, although only small groups of police stood guard outside the park and did not stop people from entering.Mourners young and old held candle lights and chanted slogans.&nbsp;Unlike past years when they mostly called for the vindication of the 1989 movement, many were shouting slogans calling for independence from China, such as “Hong Kong Independence, only way!”, “Hong Kong, build our own nation!” and “Free Hong Kong, democracy now!” Some burst into choruses of the unofficial anthem of the anti-government protests: “Glory to Hong Kong.”“What happened in Tiananmen showed the true nature of the Communist party,” said Lawrence, a 25-year-old retailer, who said he would not be intimidated by the national security laws. “Instead of being silenced, I’d rather sacrifice myself for freedom. If we have no freedom, it makes no difference whether you’re in jail or not.”Smaller gatherings were held in various spots across Hong Kong on Thursday night.&nbsp;After the ban on the vigil in Victoria Park, the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which has organised the vigil for the past 30 years, asked Hongkongers to hold individual commemorations wherever they were in the city.&nbsp;The rallies were largely peaceful, with the exception of the shopping district Mong Kok, where several people were subdued by police after barriers and traffic cones were thrown onto the road.Earlier in the day, Hong Kong’s legislature passed a law criminalising the mockery of China’s national anthem.&nbsp;The law was passed with 41 votes for and one against.&nbsp;Those who were able to vote were largely from the pro-Beijing camp, as pro-democracy lawmakers were taking part in a noisy last-minute protest that meant they could not vote.&nbsp;“A murderous state stinks for ever,” they shouted.The voting took place hastily late on Thursday afternoon after a pause of four hours.&nbsp;An earlier session was suspended after pro-democracy lawmakers Eddie Chu and Ray Chan tried to cause the bill to be delayed by protesting and throwing pungent liquid on the floor.&nbsp;The law prohibits behaviours that “insult” or misuse the Chinese national anthem, including “publicly and intentionally” altering its lyrics or score, and playing or singing it in a “distorted or disrespectful way”.Offences are punishable with a fine of HK$50,000 (£5,150) and up to three years in jail. It also stipulates that the anthem should be included in school education to teach students “the history and spirit of the national anthem”.&nbsp;Critics fear that the vague definitions of terms like “insult” and “derogatory” in the legislation could threaten freedom of expression in Hong Kong. The law coincides with plans by Beijing to force through sweeping national security rules on Hong Kong to stamp out anti-government protests, which started a year ago. The proposed laws would punish “acts and activities” that threaten national security, including secession, subversion and terrorism and foreign interference.&nbsp;The anthem, The March of the Volunteers, was written in wartime in the 1930s and calls on people to “arise, ye who refuse to be slaves!”“The banning of the vigil together with the two new laws would have profound implications on Hong Kong,” said Rowena He, author of Tiananmen Exiles and associate professor of history at Chinese University of Hong Kong.“[But] you cannot easily push people into darkness once they have experienced light. People in Hong Kong have persistently and collectively showed the world that there was something that cannot be crushed by guns, tanks, and prisons, that is the human spirit for truth and justice.”

This article is more than 2 years oldThis article is more than 2 years oldProtesters defy police ban as legislation prohibits mockery of Chinese anthemFirst published on Wed 3 Jun 2020 19.48 EDTThousands of people have defied a police ban in to mourn the victims of the Tiananmen Square massacre, after the city’s legislature passed a law criminalising the mockery of China’s national anthem.Many fear this year’s commemoration of the events of 4 June 1989 might be Hong Kong’s last, as has approved a plan to impose national security laws on the semi-autonomous city that would prevent and punish...

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Hong Kong protesters hold banned Tiananmen vigil as anthem law is passed

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