Intention key to determining whether national anthem insult in Hong Kong deserves jail time
Legco bill would also urge schools to teach pupils to sing and understand history of song, but disrespectful conduct not defined
China’s national anthem law will be adopted in Hong Kong without defining what constitutes an insult to the song, making the intention behind any perceived abuse crucial to deciding whether offenders should be jailed, according to a legislative proposal by the city’s government.
The bill that will localise the Beijing-imposed national anthem law will urge primary and secondary schools to teach pupils to sing and understand the history of March of the Volunteers, which is already happening in many schools as part of their curriculum.
According to an outline released on Friday, the local bill will make it a criminal offence to “publicly and wilfully alter” the anthem’s lyrics or score, perform or sing it in “a distorted or derogatory” manner, or insult it in any other way.