Lawmakers warned playing Chinese national anthem as tactic to disrupt Hong Kong legislature meetings risks breaking law under new bill

Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Minister Patrick Nip stresses ‘intention to insult’ March of the Volunteers is important standard behind proposed new legislation

Government plans to introduce National Anthem Bill to the Legislative Council on January 23

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Hong Kong Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Patrick Nip. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

Published: 12:13pm, 10 Jan 2019Updated: 3:32pm, 10 Jan 2019

Lawmakers playing the Chinese national anthem as a confrontational tactic in the Hong Kong legislature could be breaking the law under a newly proposed bill to criminalise abuse of the song, the minister in charge of the bill warned on Thursday.

Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Patrick Nip Tak-kuen also stressed that whether behaviour was deemed abusive would depend on if it was conducted “publicly … and with an intention to insult the anthem”.

The remarks came a day after the government unveiled legislation to criminalise any act disrespecting March of the Volunteers.

Anyone who publicly and intentionally insults the anthem, whether through the use of its lyrics or score, could risk a three-year jail term and a fine of HK$50,000. The government plans to introduce the National Anthem Bill to the Legislative Council on January 23.

Drawing more daily examples on Thursday morning, Nip said on a radio programme lawmakers who played the anthem to disrupt a Legco meeting then defended the act as freedom of expression risked the behaviour being interpreted as an insult as it was unnecessary.

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