Man jailed for throwing national flag and SAR flag to the ground

A Hong Kong court on Friday sentenced a 31-year-old man to jail for 18 days after he was said to have thrown a Chinese national flag and a Hong Kong flag onto the ground in To Kwa Wan in October last year.

The man previously pleaded guilty to one count each for desecrating the national flag and desecrating the regional flag.

The court heard earlier that the man had in October last year ??yanked out the poles of a Chinese national flag and a Hong Kong flag and thrown them onto a road outside a primary school at Sheung Heung Road.

Passing sentence, the magistrate said the man’s action is an insult to himself, but taking into account his guilty plea and his willingness to compensate for the damage, the magistrate decided to impose an 18-day jail sentence.

Hong Kong passed a law last year to criminalize disrespect of the national and regional flags and emblems. Offenders are liable to up to three years in prison and a fine of HK$50,000.