Lighting candles for Tiananmen and also Hong Kong on a dark June day

Lighting candles to remember the Tiananmen Square massacre

and also for Hong Kong this June 4th

"The truth will set you free" -- we hope; "Being born in uncertain 

times carries certain responsibilities" -- it sure does seem so :S

 

Thousands of Hong Kongers defied the police ban on the vigil to mark the Communist Chinese regime's massacre of Chinese students and other civilians on June 4th, 1989, and headed over to Victoria Park this evening.  Pushing down metal barriers erected on the edges of the football pitches where the vigil took place every year for 30 years previously, they went and temporarily occupied spaces within.  

Some people also went to Victoria Park to individually mourn earlier in the day.  And still others opted to stay in their neighborhoods or even within their homes -- but lit candles to remember this dark day anyway.

Making the day feel darker for Hong Kongers this year: the national anthem bill was indeed passed into law today. Consequently, as of this day in Hong Kong, disrespecting or misusing the March of the Volunteers consitutes a a criminal offence, with offenders liable to fines of up to HK$50,000 or three years in prison.

My question now is: what constitutes disrespectful?  Take, as an example, the following commentary and critique of (the English translation of) its lyrics:-

Arise, ye who refuse to be slaves!

-- Actually, I'm down with that!

With our flesh and blood, let us build a new Great Wall!

-- Hold on a minute.  For one thing, what if I don't want to build a new Great Wall?  For another, what if I don't wish to volunteer my flesh and blood to do so?  (Incidentally, the linkage of the flesh and blood to the Great Wall makes me recall the grisly story of the bodies of many of the 400,000 people who died while building it being encased in the wall!)

As China faces its greatest peril 

-- Is it facing its greatest peril now?  Really?

From each one the urgent call to action comes forth.
Arise! Arise! Arise!
Millions of but one heart

-- Okay, I get here that you are asking Chinese people to go to the country's rescue... since it supposedly is imperiled.

Braving the enemies' fire! March on!
Braving the enemies' fire! March on!
-- Sorry but when I read about the enemies' fire on June 4th, what comes to mind is the People Liberation Army firing on and otherwise attacking people in Beijing in the summer of 1989!

March on! March, march on! 

-- You know, Hong Kongers do want to march on.  Now if only the authorities would not object to letting us do so.  After all, back on June 16th last year, some 2 million of us showed that we can do so peacefully!