Hong Kong police on Friday said they are investigating Olympic Games fans who booed China’s national anthem and drowned it out with chanting during a public screening at a mall.
Hong Kong’s Olympic team has had its best Games on record with Edgar Cheung winning gold in fencing and Siobhan Haughey taking two silvers in swimming.
However, the success comes at a politically turbulent time for the territory, as China cracks down on dissent in response to huge and often violent democracy protests two years ago.
Photo: AFP
Hundreds of fans gathered in a mall on Monday to watch Cheung’s winning bout, erupting into rapturous applause and cheers when he came out on top.
At the subsequent medal ceremony, some fans initially booed China’s national anthem and then chanted: “We are Hong Kong,” in scenes that were broadcast live.
“We are Hong Kong” is often chanted by Hong Kong soccer fans, many of whom revel in the territory’s unique identity and Cantonese culture compared with the primarily Mandarin-speaking Chinese mainland.
Hong Kong last year passed legislation banning any insults to China’s national anthem and flag, with officials specifically citing soccer fans as one of the reasons they deemed the law necessary.
Yesterday, police confirmed that they were looking into whether the Olympic mall fans had broken the law.
“The police have initiated an investigation into the incident and will collect relevant evidence,” a police spokesperson said.
Hong Kong has imposed a sweeping National Security Law that criminalizes much dissent and pushed an official campaign to root out anyone deemed unpatriotic.
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