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11/22/2024 10:06:00 am

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Hong Kong Soccer Fans Boo China’s National Anthem; A Protest Against Beijing? Chinese Netizens React [VIDEO]

Asian Football Confederation's Shin Man Gil draws Syria for group E in the 2018 FIFA World Cup

(Photo : Reuters) Asian Football Confederation's Shin Man Gil draws Syria for group E in the 2018 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers during the preliminary joint qualification round 2 draw in Kuala Lumpur, April 14, 2015.

During the FIFA World Cup qualifiers between Hong Kong and Maldives last night, people from Hong Kong found a way to express frustration over a critical vote on the implementation of Beijing's universal suffrage plan.

In the footage, football fans from Hong Kong can be heard booing during the singing of China's national anthem. They were chanting, "We are Hong Kong."

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Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China for nearly 20 years, but the sentiments of its people against China have grown ever since. Last year, it had been witness to heated and prolonged pro-democracy protests.

Up to now, Hong Kong residents still see themselves as very much different from citizens of the mainland, reported Quartz.

Polls show that the number of residents not identifying themselves as "Chinese" have been increasing, according to The Washington Post.

Two soccer matches were hosted by Hong Kong as part of the qualification round of the next FIFA World Cup, and even before the game against Maldives, fans also jeered and booed during the national anthem of China on their first game against Butan, as seen below.


During the Maldives game, several from the 6,370 fans jeered, but not as loud as during the Bhutan game the week prior, according to The South China Morning Post.

Meanwhile, Chairman Brian Leung Hung-tak of the Hong Kong Football Association is seeing the situation as far better than the last match.

"I think the fans were more restrained compared to last week. We heard a round of applause at the end of the national anthem," Leung said. "There was some improvement and hopefully we won't see [the booing] happen again."

As for mainland citizens' reaction to the videos, the booing resulted in a livid response from China's netizens, Shanghaiist reported.

"I wonder where Hong Kongers get their 'pride' and 'superiority'? To boo the national anthem during an event like this? My heart hurts!" wrote user 叫我小王就够了 on Weibo.

"Hong Kong's behavior will only provoke greater conflicts. Is Hong Kong completely Westernized from Britain's colonization?" said another.

"A bunch of separatist bastards!" another one said.

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