Remembrance Day in Hong Kong briefly interrupted as anti-government protesters turn back on memorial and jeer Chinese national anthem
- Protesters see opportunity to get their message to the world but others question whether it was right thing to do at sombre memorial event
A few hundred people attended a Remembrance Day ceremony at the Cenotaph in Hong Kong on Sunday, with representatives of several countries and veterans associations in attendance, which was briefly interrupted as some chanted pro-democracy slogans towards the end of the event.
Many carried British and colonial flags, wore red poppies and stood for a two-minute silence at 11am, followed by the traditional Last Post.
After officials laid wreaths at the cenotaph, where a Remembrance Day ceremony has been held every year since 1923, the event closed with the Chinese National anthem and dozens began shouting “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times”, with their backs turned to the memorial.
“The actual event is for remembering the world wars, however in this event we want to speak out for our demands, there’s no more freedom for us,” said one student surnamed Pang, who was wearing all black.
“The world wars fought against those from other countries, but here we can see Hongkongers harming their own people. It’s worse than even a foreign war.”
