Asia
Hong Kong Legislature Passes Chinese Anthem Bill Amid Protests
Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen hosts a council meeting in the main chamber of the Legislative Council ahead of the vote on the Chinese national anthem bill on June 4, 2020 in Hong Kong. / Getty / Kyodo
By Kyodo News 5 June 2020
HONG KONG—Hong Kong’s legislature passed a contentious bill that outlaws disrespecting the Chinese national anthem amid a wave of protests by pro-democracy lawmakers who claimed it will encroach on people’s rights and freedoms.
The bill’s passage, by a 41-to-one vote, came on the 31st anniversary of the bloody crackdown on pro-democracy, student-led demonstrators in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, while a candlelight vigil was banned in the territory in the name of health concerns amid the coronavirus pandemic.
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