Hong Kong makes first conviction for disrespecting national anthem after YouTube video edited song out

A photographer in Hong Kong has been convicted of disrespecting the Chinese national anthem.  

Cheng Wing-chun, 27, is the first person to be convicted under the law after he edited footage of fencer Edgar Cheung Ka-long at the Tokyo Olympics award ceremony to replace the Chinese national anthem with the protest song “Glory to Hong Kong.”

“The defendant replaced the national anthem played during the solemn ceremony with ‘Glory’ and edited the footage in a way that made it seem people applauded after it was played,” Magistrate Winnie Wat Lai-man said, according to a report from South China Morning Post.

“This behaviour clearly undermines the dignity of the national anthem as a symbol and sign of the People’s Republic of China,” the magistrate added.

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Cheng has maintained that he did not intend to disrespect the national anthem nor the Chinese government with his video, which was originally posted publicly to YouTube and later set to private.

The conviction carries a maximum sentence of three years imprisonment and a fine up to a HK$50,000 (US$6,385).

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“Glory to Hong Kong” is a protest song that became popular during the 2019 demonstrations against the Chinese Communist Party.

Cheng is set to return to court on July 20 for sentencing.