HONG KONG: A Hong Kong court sentenced a man to three months imprisonment on Thursday (Jul 20) for allegedly insulting China’s national anthem by splicing a protest song onto a video clip of a Hong Kong athlete being presented a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
Magistrate Minnie Wat said a deterrent sentence was needed as the anthem is a symbol of a country’s dignity and territorial integrity.
Photographer Cheng Wing-chun, 27, had earlier this month been found guilty of insulting the anthem at the Eastern Magistrates’ Court. He had pleaded not guilty.
The court heard how Cheng had uploaded a YouTube video in which he substituted China’s national anthem with a popular protest song, “Glory to Hong Kong” during a gold medal presentation ceremony for Hong Kong fencer Edgar Cheung.