Court convicts Hong Kong man of sedition over social media posts including footage of anthem blunder at overseas rugby match
- Courier Wong Chun-kit reposted footage of anthem blunder with text praising mix-up, with prosecutors telling court such acts could encourage others to flout law
- Separately, former bank employee receives eight months in jail for publishing 37 seditious statements on LIHKG, including posts describing China as a terrorist country
A Hong Kong man admitted “supporting acts of insulting the national anthem” by reposting footage of a protest song being played at a rugby match in South Korea, as a court convicted him on Friday under a colonial-era sedition law.
Tournament organiser Asia Rugby erroneously played the anti-government protest song “Glory to Hong Kong” instead of “March of the Volunteers” before the match. They later admitted to downloading the wrong song from the internet and apologised for the mix-up.
One of the tweets shared by Wong showed the viral video clip and a statement that read: “Thanks to Incheon, South Korea, for recognising Hong Kong’s national anthem.” The same footage appeared on the other tweet, which said: “You’re not wrong! It’s the national anthem!”
Prosecutor Vincent Lee Ting-wai said reposting the footage alongside those remarks constituted a seditious act as it was capable of inciting others to flout the law or any lawful order.