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Mandating Symbolic Patriotism: China’s Flag and Anthem in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 November 2021

Brendan Clift
Brendan Clift*
Affiliation:
Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne
*
E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

The Hong Kong statute criminalizing disrespect of the Chinese national anthem, passed in 2020, is one of many recent moves to suppress political dissent in the former British colony. The law restricts freedom of political expression, but its constitutionality is practically assured courtesy of earlier decisions upholding laws against flag desecration. This article draws on sociological and political literature to argue that symbolic nationalism, particularly when given the force of law, is a tool of the authoritarian state. Against this backdrop, it critically and comparatively analyses Hong Kong judicial decisions upholding the suppression of symbolic dissent, assessing their doctrinal coherence, normative defensibility, and consequences. It concludes with observations on the efficacy of attempts to enforce patriotic orthodoxy and on how deference to authoritarianism affects the rule of law.

Keywords

national symbolsfreedom of expressionpolitical dissentauthoritarianismHong Kong
Type
Research Article
Information
Asian Journal of Law and Society , Volume 9 , Issue 3 , October 2022 , pp. 500 - 518
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Asian Journal of Law and Society

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