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Hong Kong rugby players sing the China national anthem. Photo: Sina Sports

Hong Kong rugby team’s rousing rendition of China’s national anthem earns high praise from Chinese fans

  • ‘You Hong Kong people should look at this,’ says one Chinese commentor
  • Hong Kong introducing law to make insulting national anthem a crime

Chinese sports fans rejoiced when they watched a video footage of Hong Kong rugby team players, mostly naturalised foreigners, singing China’s national anthem.

The footage was taken before a 2019 Rugby World Cup qualifying match played in Marseille late last year. Before the start of the match when March of the Volunteers was broadcast, most Hong Kong team members sung along with the anthem, some with great emotion.

Sina Sports showed the footage on Friday, which caught the attention of many mainland Chinese fans.

“You Hong Kong people should look at this. Even the naturalised people sung the national anthem properly. There is no reason why you do not follow!” said one fan from Chongqing.

Another one from the nearby Guangdong province said: “It’s mixed feelings watching these foreign fans singing the ‘March of the Volunteers’. I want to ask those 'Hong Kong poison, Taiwan poison’ people, are your hearts and lungs still there? Or they have been used to trade for iPhones?”

“Poison” in Chinese carries the same pronunciation as “independent”.

Sina Sports posted the headline, “Love my China. Hong Kong, China Rugby Team Naturalised Players Sing National Anthem Together”, and almost 1,000 fans quickly were involved in the discussion.

One fan from Shenzhen said, “This must be praised” while another one from Hubei felt sorry for the "Hong Kong Poison”, saying most of them must be “illegal immigrants" from Vietnam or Indonesia.

The implementation of the national anthem law in Hong Kong will certainly deepen the rift between Hong Kong youngsters and the mainland.

A Hong Kong fan silently protests the national anthem during a World Cup qualifier at Mong Kok Stadium in November 17. Photo: AFP
In June 2015, several months after the government’s crackdown on the “Occupy Central movement”, a large number of football fans booed the national anthem before a World Cup qualifying match held at Mong Kok Stadium.

This continued to happen whenever the Hong Kong football team played host to overseas sides.

Last week, the government unveiled a bill to make insulting the national anthem a crime, with schools required to teach children to sing and study the song. It also requires the anthem to be played when lawmakers and key officials are sworn in.

Hong Kong fans turn their backs during the Chinese national anthem before the Asian Cup preliminary match between Hong Kong and Malaysia in October 2017. Photo: Reuters

The bill, which will be presented to the Legislative Council next week, also introduces a maximum fine of HK$50,000 (US$6,375) and a three-year jail sentence as penalties for publicly and intentionally insulting the anthem.

It also gives authorities up to two years to prosecute offenders, compared with six months for other crimes under the Magistrates Ordinance.

Legco could vote on the bill by July, before the summer recess.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: HK rugby team hailed for ‘loving China’
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