Hong Kong’s new anthem law: what you can and cannot do
- New law prohibits use of March of the Volunteers for commercial ends, parodies and significant alterations of the words and score
- Whether someone is in infraction of the law will often depend on the intent of the person in question
Hong Kong’s government has proposed a controversial bill to criminalise abuse of China’s national anthem. Any person who misuses March of the Volunteers for commercial advantage or publicly and intentionally insults the anthem could face fines of up to HK$50,000 (US$6,380) and three years in prison.
The bill has not spelt out every scenario of a possible offence. Here are some that might land people in trouble.
Can the creative industry and internet users create parodies of the national anthem?
Yes and no. Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Patrick Nip Tak-kuen said a song could be banned if it closely resembled the national anthem, insofar as the public might mistake it for the anthem.
As for songs that used short riffs mimicking the anthem, Nip saw no problem with a Cantonese pop song about the 1998 Fifa World Cup that incorporated a short tune “arise, arise” drawn from March of the Volunteers.
“But the most important thing is, the lyrics or score of the national anthem should not be altered as it is the symbol of the nation,” he added.