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Hong Kong police investigate Olympic chants, China anthem booing

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The Chinese communists need to take a chill pill, relax and not overreact to every little thing.

26 ( +30 / -4 )

They are so petty, trying to stamp out genuine feelings, to what? Replace them with their idea of genuine feelings? This is utter madness. It’s like strapping someone to a chair torture them until they agree they like the chair. Blatant stupidity. How about you know listening to the public? Not arresting them. Might find yourself a tad more popular.

22 ( +24 / -2 )

Sorry, but any Olympic nation that "investigates" their citizens and outlaws booing anothers anthem (as untasteful as that may be) does NOT deserve to be in international competition. Hong Kong is now no better than North Korea or their master, Commie China.

Boycott puppet state Hong Kong, boycott Communist China, boycott the Genocide Games 2022.

14 ( +19 / -5 )

Pretty crazy for China, it's just chanting "We are Hong Kong".

17 ( +19 / -2 )

God, who cares? It's only countries like China and USA where you can get into trouble for this.

Shout out to Siobhan Haughey who won another silver for HK in the swimming event this morning. No matter what side they're on, they love her. No doubt there were a few JT posters yesterday who were upset with her success. She's done HK (and Ireland!) proud. And yes, she is totally bilingual and chose to represent the place she grew up in.

-1 ( +9 / -10 )

It's only countries like China and USA where you can get into trouble for this.

Well no, there are a lot more, but you are correct about the two named. The process is different, but the results are the same.

-7 ( +5 / -12 )

@kniknak..I fear we will soon be seeing stuff like this from the more so called civilized nations.

You might be right if the anti-democracy pro-authoritarian extreme right wingers around the globe are able to take even greater control.

-5 ( +4 / -9 )

Life under a dictatorship is not fun and games.

9 ( +11 / -2 )

Droll:

Yes you're correct. I just gave two examples (the latter just to highlight hypocrisy). Where I come from, nobody cares about this sort of stuff. Getting on with our lives is our priority.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

nobody cares about this sort of stuff. Getting on with our lives is our priority.

It is never a good idea to not care about this "sort of stuff" when the government or such entity is involved. You may find out the government has other plans for your getting on with your life. A healthy and wary eye to circumstances is prudent.

5 ( +8 / -3 )

Should have a hot line or apps to report of those hooligans!

-10 ( +1 / -11 )

@ossan A Life under a dictatorship is not fun and games.

Agree, still pro-authoritarian, anti-democracy movements continue to push against democracies hoping to further weaken them and have their authoritarian messiah and his thugs take over.

-2 ( +4 / -6 )

I'm glad I don't live in China.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

You are Hong Kong no longer, as the boots move in

3 ( +6 / -3 )

So, booing the Chinese anthem is now a crime? Glad I don't live there!

8 ( +8 / -0 )

More evidence, as if any more was needed, that anyone who can get out should do so NOW.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

You might be right if the anti-democracy pro-authoritarian extreme right wingers around the globe are able to take even greater control.

Especially those who act like they are pro-democracy but show zero support for smaller countries whose citizens want democracy instead of the communist regime running their country.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

PTownsend

You might be right if the anti-democracy pro-authoritarian extreme right wingers around the globe are able to take even greater control.

Some confusion about labels here. The people who currently are clamouring for ever more authoritarian restrictions of freedom, speech control, and punishing of dissidents are what is generally (mis)labelled as "left" or "progressive". Crazy world, but that is what we have now.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

What these guys would do now to get that British ' colonialism' back, be careful what you wish for.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

So athletes from Hong Kong compete representing Hong Kong, but then when they win, the anthem played is the PRC's anthem? Does the medal count go towards PRC too? This just seems like a slick way to increase the number of PRC competitors. Perhaps soon the second level ping pong players and divers (and many other athletes) will become Hong Kong residents in order to double the chances of a win for the PRC.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

It is interesting (not in a good way) that the HK Olympic team is officially announced as Hong Kong China

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Droll:

It is never a good idea to not care about this "sort of stuff" when the government or such entity is involved.

I disagree. I don't care much about national anthems and I am certainly not going to be saluting my flag everyday, like it's some god.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

I disagree. I don't care much about national anthems and I am certainly not going to be saluting my flag everyday, like it's some god.

It's all about me. Who cares about your neighbor, your community or your country. Right? The flag is just a symbol of a place you hopefully consider your home and someplace you care deeply about. When neighbor stops caring about neighbor, when people of a country are only out for themselves with no notions of obligations to their nation then civilization ceases to exist. It is not possible to have an organized prosperous nation without citizens showing some respect for each other and for their nations institutions.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

What these guys would do now to get that British ' colonialism' back, be careful what you wish for.

There was no practical way to keep Hong Kong. While Hong Kong island was ceded to UK in perpetuity, Kowloon and the New Territories were ceded on a 99 year lease that expired. The Brits considered keeping Hong Kong Island while returning Kowloon and the New Territories to PRC but the region is so interconnected there was no practical way to do so. In any event UK was in no position to defend it militarily if China wanted the whole thing back. They pretty much had no options that allowed them to hang on to Hong Kong.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Hong Kong has become a giant open air prison for its citizens and the citizens of Hong Kong deeply resent the PRC. Even before the security law went into effect I noticed that Cantonese businesses would often refuse to serve us because they could tell my wife is a native Mandarin speaker. Even if she only spoke to them in English her Shanghai accent gave her away. We could sit in a restaurant for an hour and would never be offered a menu or a glass of water. I suspect China will never completely control Hong Kong. Xi has picked fights with the Tibetans, Uyghurs, Hong Kong and now the Inner Mongolians. At some point suppressing these regions will come back to bite the CCP and lead to mass uprising against them.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Hong Kongers might want to start singing the Chinese national anthem, really bad, and loud as a way to protest. Off key singing is a special kind of pain.

Everything that the CCP-Chinese want can become a huge joke. Just do whatever they want, really badly.

It's only countries like China and USA where you can get into trouble for this.

False for the USA.

Speech is protected in the USA, even stew-pid stuff. The govt will not arrest you for booing the national anthem. You can say almost anything you want about the govt on any corner of the USA and no govt official will arrest you. You can burn the flag too. That has been found by the SCOTUS as a valid exercise in free speech too.

There are limits on free speech in public spaces and on private property. A mall is private property and free to set whatever limits they like on their property, just like you and I can set whatever limits we want inside our homes.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

If you keep out of Politics and just do as you're told by "Officials" then you'll be fine in China and HK.

The only problem is, that those "Officials" can sometimes be corrupt, and who is there to keep them in Check ? There's no one - the Press can't do anything now. The Lawyers can't say anything now. The Rich with "influence" can't do anything now.

At the moment, HK has it's old leadership in place, and they're just doing Beijing's beckoning, but what will come after them... some ruthlessly corrupt individuals simply in to milk the system for all they can get at the expense of whoever is in their way - such as is often the case heard about on Social media within China, and often very quickly suppressed...

HK may not notice big changes now, but give it time. A couple of years maybe, and then it's going to be too late. Who will care then ?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

God, who cares? It's only countries like China and USA where you can get into trouble for this.

In the US anyone may criticize any level of government, refuse to say the Pledge of Allegiance, boo the National Anthem or burn the US flag legally. Free speech and freedom of the press is protected by the US Constitution and those protections are rigorously enforced by the US Courts. Whole media empires are built on criticism of the government and society. One may attend a city council meeting and bitterly criticize municipal leaders openly without fear. I have done so myself on occasion. All perfectly legal. In China there are no such protections and someone who criticizes their government will be convicted of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble", a sort of catch all "crime used to jail critics of the CCP. Chinese billionaire Sun Dawu who made his fortune in agriculture and has a habit of supporting human rights attorneys in China was just sentenced for this "crime" a few days ago.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

And as for the highly elevated property prices in HK... the Anti-CCP group has published their belief (based on what they say is internal intelligence sources) that the CCP are intending to Nationalize all privately owned property.

Have a think about that for a moment.

The CCP can do it. And if they did... just what would happen ? They won't care about the Foreigners, and no legal issues would arise since the CCP makes the Law. You will still owe the Banks, what you borrowed from them, for something that you no longer own...

If this is really true, then bad times are truely ahead, for a lot of people, and a lot of Financial Institutions, and... HK.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

China has more pressing issue,such as upgrading their nuclear arsenal, Google China Nuclear Silos ,China Nuclear Test

1 ( +1 / -0 )

if you don't stand for the anthem, burn the flag, take the knee, many will accuse of hating their country.

That is the citizens, not the government. The CCP is known for their government level persecution of those who don't tow the party line and will send "law enforcement" to lord their personal ideals on the average citizen.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

that the CCP are intending to Nationalize all privately owned property.

There had never been private land ownership in China or in Hong Kong. The British never allowed private land ownership in Hong Kong. All land was owned by the British government and leased to users. As part of the agreement to hand Hong Kong back to China there was an agreement that all existing leases issued by the British would be honored for 50 years, until 2047. There was an immediate rush by Hong Kong residents and businesses to secure leases that expired in 2047 before the Chinese took over. The uncertainty regards what happens after 2017.

In China outside of Hong Kong, all agricultural land is owned by farming cooperatives and all urban land is owned by the central government. One can own a flat in a high rise and have an interest in the common areas of the building much like owners of any condominium complex do and even that is a long term lease, not outright ownership.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

if you don't stand for the anthem, burn the flag, take the knee, many will accuse of hating their country.

True. However under US law you may legally do all of these. The government is prohibited from punishing these acts. That is certainly not true in China.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

The uncertainty regards what happens after 2017.

I should have said the uncertainty regards what happens after 2047. There has been no official policy statement from the Hong Kong government or from Beijing. Anything you hear now is just the rumor mill.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Chinese disunity is why they live under so called oppression,rich chinese looking down on their poor chinese and their not supporting their muslim chinese,instead of uniting against their chinese rulers

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@Desert Tortoise - wrt China mainland - you are wrong, sorry... there is at present "Private Ownership" within the mainland....

0 ( +0 / -0 )

ok... let me retract that last statement, as it indeed needs refining a bit.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

 wrt China mainland - you are wrong, sorry... there is at present "Private Ownership" within the mainland.

You can own a car, household goods or your businesses inventory and capital stock and one may lease a building or an apartment in a building for a long period of time but all land is either owned by a cooperative or by the central government in Beijing.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@Desert Ortoise - if you can't own your own life, what is the point of owning 'things'? The 'central' government in Beijing is not a government. It is a dictatorship. More like Hitler than anything else on earth, except for the odd African or South American despotism.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

what is the point of owning 'things'?

Most Americans from the nation's founding view the ability to own property to be a fundamental human right alongside those more traditional human rights of free speech, religious freedom, the right to chose one's leaders, etc.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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