Man detained for stepping on Chinese flag during lion dance

A man in Guangdong province has been arrested after being caught on video stepping on a Chinese flag while performing a traditional ceremony on the sidewalk.

Footage of the man participating in the sidewalk ceremony was recently uploaded to Chinese social media. It shows performers in traditional lion dance costumes lined up against a wall, facing the man who is standing on a Chinese flag and dropping ceremonial objects.

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The clip soon caught the attention of China’s Net Nanny and an investigation into the matter was launched in Guangning county. The following day, the man, surnamed Zhong, turned himself in to police and confessed.

China’s National Flag Law was enacted back in 1990, aimed at “defending the dignity of the National Flag, enhancing citizens’ consciousness of the State and promoting the spirit of patriotism.” It states that publicly and willfully “burning, mutilating, scrawling on, defiling or trampling upon” the flag is a crime. In the case of minor offenses, offenders can be detained for up to 15 days, while in more serious cases they can be imprisoned for three years.

In December, a Tianjin man was sentenced to two years in prison for cutting up 66 Chinese flags that were hung at the entrances of buildings in two local residential communities. Allegedly, he went on this snipping spree to vent out his anger against the Chinese government and Communist Party.

Back in October, legislation went into effect to make disrespecting China’s national anthem illegal as well, punishable by up to 15 days detention. However, one month later, the National People’s Congress amended the law, also prescribing that those who gravely insult the anthem can be sentenced to up to three years in prison.

[Images via Btime.com]

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