Booing China anthem may be outlawed in Hong Kong

HONG Kong is considering making it illegal to boo the Chinese national anthem.

Anyone convicted of ‘insulting’ March of the Volunteers could face three years in jail.

The proposal will raise concerns Hong Kong’s regional government is becoming increasingly authoritarian.

The law would mirror penalties in mainland China, which took over the territory in 1997.

The former British colony retained its core freedoms in a ‘one country, two systems’ deal when it was handed over.

Booing the anthem at sports events has become a common form of political protest among young people frustrated at Communist Beijing’s apparent influence in the region.

The new legislation – to be discussed on March 23 – would also make it a legal requirement for schools to teach the anthem and its history.

Anyone who publicly ‘distorts’ the song, performs it in a derogatory way or insults it could face up to three years in prison and a £4,500 fine.

Wu Chi-wai, the opposition Democratic Party leader, said the bill ‘would harm the public’s basic rights’.