Hong Kong school must submit report to authorities after video of students’ antics with national anthem goes viral
- Video circulated widely online shows students disrupting class by mocking their secondary school teacher as national anthem is played on another mobile phone
- One student kicks a table and dances on it, while another behind the camera can be heard laughing as she films, in incident that principal says occurred last October
Hong Kong education authorities have asked a secondary school to submit a report after a video was spread online of its students disrupting a history lesson by mocking their teacher, and performing antics with the national anthem playing as background music.
In the two-minute viral video, a female student from the Association of Directors and Former Directors of Pok Oi Hospital Limited Leung Sing Tak College in Tsuen Wan is seen interrupting the class by mockingly asking for the teacher’s hand in marriage and miming a kiss through her mask.
The girl, who is repeatedly ordered by the exasperated teacher to return to her seat, is also seen kicking a table, standing on it and dancing while the national anthem is played on the speakers of another mobile phone. Throughout the video, the student behind the camera can be heard laughing as she films.
A bureau spokeswoman said the authorities had immediately contacted the school to investigate the situation after learning about the viral video and ordered it to “handle the incident seriously and submit a detailed report”.
“The school should educate students on the right etiquette – to stand solemnly and comport themselves with dignity [while the national anthem is playing],” she added.
She also noted that the ordinance mandated that the anthem should only be played and sung on “appropriate occasions” as a symbol and expression of respect to the People’s Republic of China.
Under the ordinance, the offence of insulting the national anthem with intent is punishable by up to three years in jail.
Principal Chik Man-hin issued a statement on Tuesday saying the video had been recorded last October, and that the school had already “followed up” on the students’ behaviour, as well as on how the teacher had managed the class.
“We hope the public will give us some time and space,” he wrote.
An insider familiar with the incident told the Post that the clip was first uploaded to social media in February. It was subsequently removed but re-emerged again recently.
The source said the national anthem was among other songs played during the history lesson in which the two students – the girl in the video and the person who filmed it – sought to “mess with” the teacher.
The Post was told the two students have not attended school since February.
