Hong Kong Police Investigate Booing of China’s National Anthem During Olympics
July 30, 2021Hong Kong police are trying to find out who booed China’s national anthem after a fencer won the city’s first Olympic gold in 25 years.
The alleged booing happened at a shopping mall as fans gathered to watch the live broadcast of the Olympic award ceremony following local athlete Cheung Ka-long’s win in men’s foil fencing on Monday. The crowd also chanted “We are Hong Kong” while the anthem rang, as if to drown out the song.
A former British colony, Hong Kong continued to compete in international sports competitions separately from China’s team after it was handed over to Chinese rule in 1997. The city is represented by its Bauhinia flag and the Chinese national anthem.
The Tokyo games have become the single best Olympics for Hong Kong as athletes have bagged one gold medal and two silvers. The event has offered Hong Kongers a rare opportunity to celebrate their local identity, at a time when Beijing is tightening its grip on the city and cracking down on its pro-democracy movement, actions seen as eroding the distinction between the city and the mainland.
On the internet, some users edited the video of the foil fencing award ceremony to replace the Chinese national anthem with a protest song that became a symbol of the 2019 anti-government unrest.
Booing the national anthem at sports events used to be a popular gesture for people to protest Beijing’s control over Hong Kong. But it has been prohibited since a law on respecting the national anthem was enacted in June 2020.
The same month, a powerful national security law imposed by Beijing also went into effect. The law, which criminalized acts of secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with foreign forces, has led to the arrests of activists and the shutdown of a pro-democracy newspaper.
It’s unclear if booing the national anthem is also considered a violation of the national security law. Police have launched an investigation and will examine the shopping mall’s surveillance footage, local news outlets reported.
Police confirmed the investigation in an email to VICE World News on Friday, adding it would collect “relevant evidence.”
Police were also reportedly monitoring the crowd watching the women’s 100-m freestyle race on Friday. No Chinese national anthem was played since Hong Kong swimmer Siobhan Haughey won a silver, becoming the city’s first double-medalist.