The People’s Republic of China’s Hong Kong authorities have taken legal action against a Moroccan citizen, aged 32, for “insulting the national and regional flags.”
The individual was subsequently released on bail while awaiting a court decision, as reported by Chinese media on Thursday.
In October last year, a peculiar incident occurred on the North Point district in Hong Kong where police discovered over 20 flags discarded on the ground.
Surveillance footage showed the suspect removing the flags and making gestures with his arms, while appearing to sniff the air. The individual admitted to being intoxicated during the incident.
Despite inquiries, there was no evidence to suggest that the Moroccan citizen possessed any criminal history or held political affiliations. It was also not proven that he had deliberately torn down or desecrated the flags. Furthermore, the Public Prosecution was unable to establish that the Moroccan citizen, who was intoxicated at the time, had a specific criminal intention.
Initially, the Hong Kong public prosecutor pursued additional charges against the Moroccan citizen, including causing damage to property owned by an association.
However, these charges were subsequently dropped due to disparities between Chinese national law and Hong Kong law in terms of the elements of the offense and corresponding penalties.
Notably, insulting the Chinese flag necessitates a demonstrated element of intentional action, which was considered absent in this case due to the individual’s alcohol influence.
As a result, the charge of “insulting the regional flag” remained.
The presiding judge has postponed delivering the final verdict until September 14th. Meanwhile, the individual’s bail has been renewed, subjecting him to surveillance and community service.
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