Sept. 19 was the day of the state funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth II. The British Consulate in Hong Kong continued to open an area for the public to mourn the Queen, and the site was constantly crowded from morning to dusk and into the night. A man playing the British national anthem was arrested by police. Police alleged he was acting with seditious intent and is being detained for investigation.
With white flowers in hand, most citizens waited about four4 hours before being able to enter the consulate area to pay their last respects to the late Queen. A citizen who presented flowers outside the consulate told reporters that they were born and raised in Hong Kong, and what they get now are legacies of British rule. One woman also said that when the Queen came to Hong Kong in 1975, she was lucky enough to meet her. At that time, the Queen sat in the back seat of a limousine and wore a crown, and she was very excited to see her.
After nightfall on Sept. 19, many citizens still gathered outside the British Consulate. Some lit candles and laid flowers, while others raised their mobile phone with lights on and sang the protest song “Glory to Hong Kong,” chanting “God save the Queen” and “Come on Kongkongers,” and other slogans.
Shortly after 9 p.m., the police gathered outside the British Consulate and set up orange restraining tapes. Later they intercepted, searched, and arrested a man surnamed Pang who played the British national anthem with a harmonica, on suspicion of violating Section 9 of the “Crimes Ordinance” for “acting with seditious intention.”
All these led some netizens to feel that under the new Hong Kong, even mourning the late Queen could become taboo.
Hong Kongers in Britain: Hong Kong Under British Rule Had Good Education and Life
The Epoch Times reporter in the UK made interviews at Westminster Abbey at 7 a,m. on Sept. 19. Hong Kong students Audrey and Oscar in the UK were queuing on London Bridge at 3 a.m. to pay their respects to the late Queen. However, the line was already too long and they were not allowed in. So they moved on to wait outside Parliament Square and hoped to be able to see the final glimpse of the late Queen’s coffin. They brought water and biscuits with them and waited all night. Andrey believes that there is only one chance in life to say goodbye to the Queen, and it is worthwhile to see the hearse passing by even standing on the periphery.As of Sept. 19 morning, the trains to Windsor were already full of people. The Epoch Times reporter interviewed a Hong Konger, Miss Chiu, in Windsor. She took a holiday and made a special trip to Windsor to pay her respect to the late Queen. She said that Hong Kong had a good education system and good life under British rule, and she was grateful to the Queen for all these.
HKSAR Government Plans to Amend the Law to Names to Decolonise
Just as many Hong Kong people have been mourning the late Queen for days, it is reported that the HKSAR government seems to be considering how to deal with it.Columnist Yu Kam-yin revealed in his column yesterday that the issue of “decolonisation” has recently been studied within the government. At the meeting, someone mentioned the “Queen Elizabeth Foundation for the Mentally Handicapped Ordinance,” saying that it has been 25 years since the handover of Hong Kong’s sovereignty. And with the death of the Queen, it is high time to see whether a new name is necessary to highlight the fact that the CCP has resumed control of Hong Kong.
As for what kind of new name and the future of the fund, the government has not yet reached a conclusion. In fact, Hong Kong currently has a number of fund ordinances with ties to the colonial era, such as the “Sir Murray MacLehose Trust Fund Ordinance,” the “Sir David Trench Fund for Recreation Ordinance,” and the “Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fund Ordinance.”
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