Hong Kong Man Arrested for Sedition Outside British Consulate after Playing Songs while Mourning the Queen
Large crowds of Hongkongers gathered outside the British Consulate in Central on Monday evening, as the Queen's state funeral took place in London at the same time. Many lit candles in remembrance of the late queen.
One man brought his harmonica and allegedly performed various songs, including #GodSaveTheQueen and #GloryToHongKong. This reportedly caused a commotion in the gathered crowd, and the police arrested him after around half an hour.
Police announced today (20th) that the man was suspected to have taken actions with seditious intent, and is currently under arrest for investigation.
source: Hong Kong Economic Times #Sep20
https://topick.hket.com/article/3357355/【英女王逝世】43歲男昨悼念疑奏英國國歌及榮光等歌曲%E3%80%80涉作出具煽動意圖行為被捕
editor's note: The sedition law, under which the man was charged, dated back to Hong Kong's colonial days. Britain has repealed the offence of seditious libel in 2009. In July 2022, the UN Human Rights Committee had urged Hong Kong to abolish its sedition law as well as the National Security Law as they violated the freedom of expression in the city.
see also: Explainer: Hong Kong’s sedition law – a colonial relic revived after half a century (Hong Kong Free Press)
https://hongkongfp.com/2022/07/30/explainer-hong-kongs-sedition-law-a-colonial-relic-revived-after-half-a-century/
#Sedition #FreedomOfExpression #FreedomOfSpeech
Large crowds of Hongkongers gathered outside the British Consulate in Central on Monday evening, as the Queen's state funeral took place in London at the same time. Many lit candles in remembrance of the late queen.
One man brought his harmonica and allegedly performed various songs, including #GodSaveTheQueen and #GloryToHongKong. This reportedly caused a commotion in the gathered crowd, and the police arrested him after around half an hour.
Police announced today (20th) that the man was suspected to have taken actions with seditious intent, and is currently under arrest for investigation.
source: Hong Kong Economic Times #Sep20
https://topick.hket.com/article/3357355/【英女王逝世】43歲男昨悼念疑奏英國國歌及榮光等歌曲%E3%80%80涉作出具煽動意圖行為被捕
editor's note: The sedition law, under which the man was charged, dated back to Hong Kong's colonial days. Britain has repealed the offence of seditious libel in 2009. In July 2022, the UN Human Rights Committee had urged Hong Kong to abolish its sedition law as well as the National Security Law as they violated the freedom of expression in the city.
see also: Explainer: Hong Kong’s sedition law – a colonial relic revived after half a century (Hong Kong Free Press)
https://hongkongfp.com/2022/07/30/explainer-hong-kongs-sedition-law-a-colonial-relic-revived-after-half-a-century/
#Sedition #FreedomOfExpression #FreedomOfSpeech
Hket
【英女王逝世】43歲男昨悼念疑奏英國國歌及榮光等歌曲 涉作出具煽動意圖行為被捕
英女王伊利沙白二世（Queen Elizabeth II）國葬於當地時間周一（19日）上午11時舉行，除了英國當地大批民眾弔唁女王外，不少香港市民到英國駐港總領事館弔唁，昨晚有市民自發到領事館外以燭光
Hongkongers Gathering for Queen's Funeral Sing "Glory to Hong Kong"; Police Arrests Harmonica Player
On Monday evening in Hong Kong, as the Queen's funeral was about to take place in London, many Hongkongers gathered outside the British consulate to mourn the late Queen and watch the procession on live stream. Many brought flowers and candles to add to the growing assemblage of tributes outside the consulate, which by now had taken up a large portion of the sidewalk.
A man was seen playing his harmonica on the opposite side of the street in the evening; the crowd sang along enthusiastically to familiar tunes including #GloryToHongKong, the unofficial protest anthem of 2019. The song had been rarely heard since the #NationalSecurityLaw came into effect and it was banned in schools, although the government had avoided explicitly calling it illegal.
After the man had finished playing, the crowd continue to sing as they waved cell phone lights. They finished with chants of "God save the Queen" and "Hongkongers add oil", recalling the city's glory days under the Queen's rule, when residents enjoyed prosperity as well as the freedom to speak their minds without fear of repercussions from the authorities.
Police later arrived and detained the harmonica player behind cordon lines, drawing the ire of the gathered crowd. Consulate staff also came out to intervene with the police, but the harmonica player was eventually arrested and taken away on a police van.
Source: RazvenHK twitter #Sep20
https://twitter.com/RazvenHK/status/1571840362481852416
#GodSaveTheQueen #RIP #QueenElizabethII
On Monday evening in Hong Kong, as the Queen's funeral was about to take place in London, many Hongkongers gathered outside the British consulate to mourn the late Queen and watch the procession on live stream. Many brought flowers and candles to add to the growing assemblage of tributes outside the consulate, which by now had taken up a large portion of the sidewalk.
A man was seen playing his harmonica on the opposite side of the street in the evening; the crowd sang along enthusiastically to familiar tunes including #GloryToHongKong, the unofficial protest anthem of 2019. The song had been rarely heard since the #NationalSecurityLaw came into effect and it was banned in schools, although the government had avoided explicitly calling it illegal.
After the man had finished playing, the crowd continue to sing as they waved cell phone lights. They finished with chants of "God save the Queen" and "Hongkongers add oil", recalling the city's glory days under the Queen's rule, when residents enjoyed prosperity as well as the freedom to speak their minds without fear of repercussions from the authorities.
Police later arrived and detained the harmonica player behind cordon lines, drawing the ire of the gathered crowd. Consulate staff also came out to intervene with the police, but the harmonica player was eventually arrested and taken away on a police van.
Source: RazvenHK twitter #Sep20
https://twitter.com/RazvenHK/status/1571840362481852416
#GodSaveTheQueen #RIP #QueenElizabethII