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

Authors of "Sheep Village" Illustrated Books Handed 19-Month Sentence; Judge Questions Lack of Mention that "Sheep Village is Part of Wolf Village"

Five former committee members of the de-registered General Union of Hong Kong Speech Therapists, accused of publishing three illustrated books of the "Sheep Village" series, were found guilty of conspiring to print, publish, distribute and display with seditious intent. After being detained for more than a year, they were sentenced in the District Court to 19 months imprisonment on Saturday Sept 10, the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival.

It was the first case in which the defendant pleaded not guilty to seditious publication charges. Designated #NationalSecurityLaw judge Kwok Wai-kin set 21 months as the starting point of the sentence for each defendant, with a discretionary deduction of two months, resulting in a sentence of 19 months imprisonment.

The judge said that the audience of the illustrated books is children aged four and above, who are like "plain paper". He criticises the defendants' books for using sheep and wolves as an analogy for Hong Kong and China, respectively. He claimed that the books accused China of doing something illegal and improper, and "sowed the seeds of instability" for the Central government and Hong Kong by indicating that China had no sovereignty over Hong Kong and that Hong Kong was not part of China. He also accused the defendants of "brainwashing" younger readers, poisoning their minds, and mobilising parents to participate.

Before sentencing, the judge asked the defendant several questions: "When will you leave the prison of your mind?" "Did you put the truth in the illustrated books? Why didn't the books tell readers that the shepherds left because they had no right to continue to govern the place?" "Why not mention that the sheep village is part of the wolf village?" "Why is freedom of speech used to deny China's indisputable sovereignty over Hong Kong?"

The judge quoted the defense's plea that the defendants are "elite" and "smart people", and that they could understand what he meant.

As the five defendants entered the detention room, they waved to the bystanders. Someone in the gallery shouted, "Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!"

They will still serve their sentences for about one more month, and are expected to be free by next month.

Source: The Witness #Sep10

https://bit.ly/3BtQL3Z

#SpeechTherapists #SheepVillage #sedition #NSL #KwokWaiKin