Hong Kong demands probe after protest song replaced Chinese anthem at rugby match in South Korea
Namdong Asiad Rugby Field in Incheon, South Korea.
On Monday, the Hong Kong government in a strongly worded statement criticised and demanded an investigation after a popular democracy protest song was played instead of the Chinese national anthem at a rugby seven seas tournament game that the city was a part of in South Korea.
In a statement, the city’s government said that it “strongly deplores and opposes the playing of a song closely associated with violent protests and the 'independence' movement”, in place of China's national anthem. It added, “The National Anthem is a symbol of our country. The organiser of the tournament has a duty to ensure that the National Anthem receives the respect it warranted.”
The song “Glory to Hong Kong” is considered an unofficial anthem of the 2019 pro-democracy movement in the city which is now becoming increasingly controversial amid China’s crackdown on the democracy movement.
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While authorities did not name the song, the widely circulated footage of Sunday’s match shows that it was played before the Asia Rugby Sevens Series finals between Hong Kong and South Korea in Incheon. A government spokesperson also wrote to the Hong Kong Rugby Union demanding them “to deal with this matter seriously, launch a full and in-depth investigation and submit a detailed report, and convey our strong objection”, to the organisers.
However, the city’s authorities said that Asia Rugby has already apologised to the union for the incident and confirmed that the recording of China’s national anthem submitted by the Hong Kong team’s coach was the correct one and that the incident occurred was a mistake “caused by human error of a junior staff”.
The statement added, the Hong Kong team noticed the mistake and brought it to the organiser’s attention who then made a public announcement conveying its apology after the game China's national anthem, March of the Volunteers, was played during the prize ceremony after Hong Kong won the final.
On Monday, the city’s rugby union expressed “extreme dissatisfaction” over the incident and said that the organisers, Asia Rugby, have “expressed their sincere apologies” and assured them that such a mistake will not be repeated.
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The city has a law against disrespecting the Chinese national anthem which was enacted in 2020 after sports fans had started booing, March of the Volunteers when it was played during football matches. Notably, while Glory to Hong Kong has not been banned in the city, earlier this year, a harmonica player was detained after playing the tune to a crowd outside the British consulate.
(With inputs from agencies)
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