Those in Hong Kong who insult March of the Volunteers — the Chinese national anthem — could be sent to jail for up to three years as the city’s legislature passed the controversial bill on Thursday.
Pro-democracy lawmakers attempted to disrupt the proceedings by spilling foul-smelling liquid in the Legco chamber. The meeting was briefly suspended but it did not stop the pro-Beijing Legislative Council president Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen from ripping lawmakers’ right to debate in order to rush through the voting.
The bill was eventually passed with 41 votes to one as the pan-democrats walked out and abstained from voting in protest. The pan-democrats only have 22 out of 70 seats at the Legislative Council as only half of the seats were elected by universal suffrage.
The national anthem law will come into effect next Friday and it gives authorities the power to penalize those who are misusing or insulting the national anthem. Anyone found guilty could be fined up to HK$50,000 (US$6,450) and sent to jail for up to three years.
The proposal drew strong opposition from members of the public. Hong Kong people had a track record of booing the Chinese national anthem at international sports games when the Hong Kong team played.
“[China] is a vast country with 5,000 years of history. Two systems will only be meaningful if we respect our country,” said Erick Tsang Kwok-wai, Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, said ahead of the voting.