A man in Hong Kong who played a pro-democracy tune on a harmonica at Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral vigil in Hong Kong was arrested.
Thousands of mourners gathered outside the British consulate in Hong Kong during Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral to pay tribute on Monday evening.
A 43-year-old man, surnamed Pang, reportedly played songs on a harmonica as attendees outside the consulate shone their phone lights, sang along and applauded the performance. Pang played the British national anthem and the song “Glory To Hong Kong,” which became known as a pro-democracy song during the city’s anti government protests in 2019.
The song contains the protest chant “liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times,” which the courts have previously declared to be a threat to national security. Many mourners also chanted the protest “Hong Kongers add oil” at the vigil, while expressing nostalgia in the former British colony.
Hong Kong was a British colony for over 150 years before it was returned to China in 1997. Following the queen’s death, more than 13,000 people have lined up to sign a book of condolences in the city’s British consulate.
Pang was arrested outside the consulate on Tuesday for “seditious acts” under the British colonial-era sedition law, which national security police have been known to use to arrest activists.
His arrest marks the first time an individual has been arrested for playing music.
Authorities in Hong Kong have arrested at least 60 people under the same law since September 2020, including Filipino Hong Kong busker Oliver Ma when he sang the English version of the protest song on Hong Kong streets. The law has also been known to send politicians, journalists and civil society figures to prison.
Featured Image via AP Archive
Support our Journalism with a Contribution
Many people might not know this, but despite our large and loyal following which we are immensely grateful for, NextShark is still a small bootstrapped startup that runs on no outside funding or loans.
Everything you see today is built on the backs of warriors who have sacrificed opportunities to help give Asians all over the world a bigger voice.
However, we still face many trials and tribulations in our industry, from figuring out the most sustainable business model for independent media companies to facing the current COVID-19 pandemic decimating advertising revenues across the board.
We hope you consider making a contribution so we can continue to provide you with quality content that informs, educates and inspires the Asian community. Even a $1 contribution goes a long way. Thank you for everyone’s support. We love you all and can’t appreciate you guys enough.
Support NextShark