Hong Kong rugby players were left stunned as a protest anthem was played instead of the national anthem in Korea. Photo: Screenshot Rugby7s via YouTube. “Glory to Hong Kong” rang out around the stadium in Incheon during the men’s final between Hong Kong and South Korea, instead of “March of the Volunteers” – the anthem the city shares with China. “The National Anthem is a symbol of our country. The tournament organizer has a duty to ensure that the National Anthem receives the respect it warrants,” a government spokesman said in a press release on Monday. They added: “[W]We have already written to the Hong Kong Rugby Union last night asking them to take this matter seriously, launch a full and thorough investigation and submit a detailed report and convey our strong objection to Asia Rugby, which is the organizer of the match. Series.” According to the government, Asia Rugby has already apologised, saying a junior official had made a mistake and the Hong Kong team had given the correct anthem. When “Glory to Hong Kong” was played, the Hong Kong team tried to raise the alarm and – later – the organizers made a public statement to apologise. The correct anthem was played during the award ceremony. The footage was widely circulated online overnight, with the Hong Kong group appearing stone-faced as the song aired. Asia Rugby appears to have removed the live stream of the event.
Protest anthem
The government said the song was “closely linked to violent protests and the ‘independence’ movement in 2019”. Although the protests attracted a handful of pro-independence activists, it was not one of the movement’s demands. China’s Hong Kong Sports Federation and Olympic Committee reiterated the government’s condemnation in a statement on Monday, saying: “The national anthem is a symbol of the country, playing and singing the national anthem is an official ceremony. Athletes representing Hong Kong, China in international games and competitions will fully reflect this spirit to uphold the dignity of the national anthem.” Photo: Kelly Ho/HKFP. Meanwhile, the Hong Kong Rugby Union said in a statement: “The HKRU has expressed its extreme displeasure at this incident and has received a full explanation of the circumstances that led to it. Although we accept that this is a case of human error, it was not acceptable.” Authorities declined to say whether the song is illegal, although it is banned in schools and police have intervened when it is played in public. Protests erupted in June 2019 over an extradition bill that has since been passed. They have escalated into sometimes violent protests against police behavior amid calls for democracy and anger at Beijing’s encroachment. The protesters demanded an independent investigation into the conduct of the police, amnesty for those arrested and an end to the labeling of the protests as “riots”. Hong Kong’s National Anthem Law, which criminalizes insults at the ‘March of the Volunteers’, came into force on 4 June 2020 domestically – violators face fines of up to HK$50,000 or three years in prison. Last week, a citizen journalist was the first to be jailed under the law. HKFP Support | Code of Ethics | Error/typo? | Contact us | Newsletter | Transparency & Annual Report
