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Chinese anthem protesters now face jail
New law is part of President Xi Jinping's push to silence political dissent, say observers
This week China introduced a new law making it illegal to “disrespect” the Chinese anthem - punishable with a sentence of two weeks in prison.
The new legislation, which was formally introduced in early September, aims to protect “the dignity of the national anthem” and help “promote patriotism and nurture socialist core values.”
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The law also makes it an offence to change the lyrics of the song or to play it at inappropriate occasions such as a funeral or as background music to a television advert.
There are concerns over whether the new law could be made to apply to the territories of Macau and Hong Kong - with residents in the latter already voicing disapproval with the national anthem at sporting events. During a recent football match between Hong Kong and China, “Hong Kong supporters booed during the playing of the Chinese national anthem,” says the English-language Chinese blog Shanghaiist.
The new law “is widely seen as an attempt by the Communist top brass to boost patriotism and party loyalty,” says The Times.
Since President Xi Jinping came to power in 2012 “patriotic education in schools and universities has been ramped up in an effort to silence political dissent”, adds the paper.
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While this new law “may sound like something Trump would like to see instituted in the US, he would not agree with the opinions of all Chinese legislators on proper anthem etiquette,” says Shanghaiist.
In June, one government official proposed a resolution that would ban placing a hand over the heart during China's national anthem, arguing that the gesture was “an American tradition that has no place in China”.
“We should follow Chinese manners and Chinese rules,” the delegate said, proposing to add a clause to the draft law which would ban any gestures “foreign, religious or self-made” during the anthem.
