Hong Kong teen sentenced to 3 years in prison for mocking Chinese anthem

Teenager accused of ‘seditious intentions’ after altering lyrics for ‘March of the Volunteers’

Representational image: People line up outside the West Kowloon court in Hong Kong on 23 September 2021 (AFP/Getty)

A teenager from Hong Kong has been sentenced to three years in detention for mocking the national anthem and making fun of the Chinese flag in videos on several social media platforms.

Local media reported that Chui Hoi-chun has been sentenced over 29 offensive posts published on YouTube, Discord and the LIHKG forum in a span of 28 months, between May 2020 and September this year.

The 18-year-old was also accused of publishing seditious posts that criticised Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Last month, Mr Chui pleaded guilty to four counts of sedition and insulting the national anthem and national flag after he published “seditious” social media posts and disrespectful parodies.

Chief magistrate Victor So Wai-tak of the West Kowloon Court said Mr Chui, who works as a part-time waiter in Hong Kong, had incited hatred towards mainland China, the city’s administration and police with his “anti-government” posts.

The teenager stands accused of “doing an act or acts with seditious intentions” intending to insult the national anthem by intentionally publishing “altered lyrics” as well as intentionally publishing “a desecration of the national flag” with intent, between 28 May 2020 and 27 September this year.

The magistrate accused the teen of trampling on the country’s dignity and hurting the feelings of people through his parodies.

Prosecutors said Mr Chui ridiculed the national anthem, known as “March of the Volunteers”, in two posts on the LIHKG website on 28 May 2020. They said one of the parodies was insulting to leaders on the mainland.

The first line of the Chinese national anthem – “Stand up! Those who refuse to be slaves! With our flesh and blood, let’s build our newest Great Wall!” – was changed by the 18-year-old to “Late! I’ll take you around the world! I ride on the Godzilla, and my mum says I’m really a freak!”

The other version had the original wording almost entirely replaced with Cantonese curses, the local media reported.

Hong Kong’s national anthem law, which criminalises insults to “March of the Volunteers”, was enacted on 4 June 2020.

Violators risk fines of up to HK$50,000 (£5,185) or three years in prison. The national flag and emblem law was passed on 29 September last year, with the maximum penalty being a HK$50,000 fine and three-year imprisonment.