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Hong
Kong soccer fans defy Beijing by booing Chinese national anthem
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 [November 14, 2017]
By Donny Kwok
HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hundreds of Hong
Kong soccer fans booed and jeered the Chinese national anthem at an
Asia Cup qualifier match on Tuesday in defiance of Communist Party
rulers in Beijing, while others turned their backs.
The booing of the anthem, "The March of the Volunteers", has become
a fixture at Hong Kong football matches, with some parallels to
protests in the United States where American football players have
knelt during the national anthem, an act denounced by U.S. President
Donald Trump.
Now the former British colony is preparing to enact a law that will
penalize people who boo the anthem, a measure that critics say
undermines the city's autonomy and freedoms guaranteed when it
returned to China 20 years ago.
Details of the law, including jail terms and the scope of
enforcement, have yet to be set. China extended the law to cover
Hong Kong earlier this month.
Chinese officials have said the law is necessary to safeguard the
authority of the state.
Several hundred fans greeted the anthem before the match against
Lebanon with jeers and boos, with some unfurling banners that said
"Die for Hong Kong", while others yelled "We are Hong Kong" in
English, rather than the local Cantonese dialect.
Some security guards signaled to the supporters to behave.
"I'm not scared even if it becomes law ... I will go to the toilet
instead of sitting when the national anthem is on," Hong Kong
supporter Bendter Chong said when asked if he would continue to jeer
the anthem when the law is enacted.
Tensions between Hong Kong and mainland China have increased in
recent years amid calls for greater democracy. Mass street protests
in 2014 paralyzed parts of the city although they failed to secure
concessions on electoral reform from Beijing.
Most of the jeering fans were youths, underscoring how the younger
generation has become increasingly disaffected by political tension
and economic hardship.
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Security guards wave to urge Hong Kong fans stop booing and turning
their backs during Chinese national anthem, at the Asian Cup
preliminary match between Hong Kong and Lebanon in Hong Kong, China
November 14, 2017. REUTERS/Bobby Yip
Security was tight at the Hong Kong Stadium, the venue for the
city's annual Rugby Sevens tournament, with thousands of fans
gathered for the match. The stadium has capacity for 40,000.
Hong Kong returned from British to Chinese rule in 1997 under a "one
country, two systems" arrangement that guarantees a high degree of
autonomy, including an independent judiciary and freedom of
expression.
In 2015, Hong Kong football fans booed the Chinese anthem during a
World Cup qualifier, prompting a fine for the Hong Kong Football
Association from world body FIFA.
The association was warned by the Asian Football Confederation
recently over the conduct of fans and said "a repeat violation may
result in more severe punishment".
Since taking over as Chinese president, Xi Jinping has ushered in
new legislation aimed at securing the country from threats both
within and outside its borders, besides presiding over a sweeping
crackdown on dissent and free speech.
(Additional reporting by Bobby Yip; Writing by Anne Marie Roantree;
Editing by Nick Macfie)
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