By Rachel Wong
https://hongkongfp.com/author/rachelwong/
Netizens have come up with creative alternative ways to express the protest slogan “Liberate Hong Kong, the revolution of our times” after the government called it secessionist and pro-independence.
The government released a statement on Thursday night claiming the emblematic protest slogan reflected calls for Hong Kong independence, subversion of state power and altering the semi-autonomous territory’s legal status.
Pro-Beijing heavyweight Maria Tam told reporters on Friday that she had always found the slogan to be problematic.
“When you talk about liberation, in its Chinese meaning, in our historical events, it’s when you have one piece of land… That place belongs to me but somebody took it and now I am going to retrieve it,” she said. “That’s the meaning of liberation. So as far as we are concerned, Hong Kong belongs to China.”
Tam added that one could not judge whether a single slogan or gesture violated the four crimes – secession, subversion, terrorism and colluding with foreign powers – under the national security law.
Barrister Erik Shum told HKFP the government statement alone could not be considered legally binding. However, the government may use the statement as evidence in a future prosecution, with an assumption that the defendant has read it.
“They may infer that any use of the slogan from July 2 onwards shows that [defendants] are using the slogan under the meaning interpreted by the government,” he said. “But it does not mean that the judge will directly adopt the interpretation in this statement.”
Shum also added that the statement does not specify what kind of acts involving the slogan risk violating the law, and under what circumstances.
https://hongkongfp.com/2020/07/03/gfhg-sdgm-hong-kong-netizens-reimagine-illegal-slogan-as-protesters-find-workaround/