An 18-year-old is arrested for allegedly writing ‘seditious’ messages on the wall of a men’s room at Hong Kong China City…
According to the police, the messages were deemed to have provoked hatred, contempt or disaffection against the constitutional order and the executive, legislative or judicial authorities in Hong Kong. The contents also incited other people to commit illegal acts, the police alleged.
Were they messages or essays?
“Police remind members of the public that ‘doing with a seditious intention an act or acts that had a seditious intention’ is a serious offence. Offenders shall be liable to imprisonment for seven years on first conviction. Members of the public are urged not to defy the law,” the statement read.
Some reports are saying that the guy wrote ‘Liberate Hong Kong’.
If that counts as seditious intention (squared?), what about the Hudson Institute’s new paper on ‘Preparing for a post-CCP China’? From the synopsis…
While the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has weathered crises before, a sudden regime collapse in China is not entirely unthinkable. Policymakers need to consider what might happen and what steps they would have to take if the world’s longest-ruling Communist dictatorship and second-largest economy collapses due to its domestic and international troubles.
The whole thing is a 128-page PDF referencing – among other things – the Zhou Dynasty. I just skimmed.
Asia Times does a pithier take…
But does this [list of economic and other problems] translate into active opposition within the Central Committee—the body that could potentially remove Xi? No. Because these officials believe that to fix the problem, they’d need to remove the “big man.” But this is a highly hazardous operation, attempted a few times with no success, and often leading to the demise of the rebels.
Moreover, there’s a broader calculation at play. The system is built around the emperor—if you bring him down, will the system survive? If it doesn’t, the officials risk losing their posts along with the leader. As an act of self-preservation, they defend the emperor, no matter what.
The middle class is in a similar situation: their homes have lost half of their value, and their savings have diminished dramatically. But half is better than nothing—especially in the event of a revolution. They still have a lot to lose, and revolutions are fought by people who have nothing to lose but their chains.
I initially misread your intro to suggest that “Police remind members of the public that ‘doing with a seditious intention an act or acts that had a seditious intention’ is a serious offence. Offenders shall be liable to imprisonment for seven years on first conviction. Members of the public are urged not to defy the law” was the graffiti and thus the sedition. Methinks, if you really want to inspire unclean thoughts in the subalterns, scribbling that under the penises on a bathroom wall would be much more insidious than “Liberate Hong Kong”
@Fish – There’s a Life of Brian satire element to your suggestion. For example, the possible need to correct an incorrect interpretation. Romani ite domum. Now write it 100 times. Streisand to the max!
Are you sure it wasn’t ‘Call Regina for a good time?’?