A man was arrested in Hong Kong on suspicion of sedition after playing the harmonica at a vigil for Queen Elizabeth II, under a colonial-era law that once outlawed insulting the Queen -- and has now been revived by authorities amid an ongoing crackdown.
Videos posted to social media show hundreds of people gathering outside the city's British consulate on Monday night to pay tribute to the Queen, as her funeral took place in London -- an event heavy with political significance in the former British colony, where mourning the monarch has become a subtle form of protest.
Many live-streamed the funeral procession on their phones, while others held up candles and laid flowers at a memorial site.
One video shows a man playing on his harmonica the tune "Glory to Hong Kong," a protest anthem created during the depths of the pro-democracy, anti-government protests that rocked the city in 2019.
Over 2,500 people lined up to offer condolences to Queen Elizabeth II outside the British consulate in Hong Kong on September 12, 2022.
The rousing ballad, which includes such lyrics as "For Hong Kong, may freedom reign," became an anthem of the pro-democracy movement and performances of it have been viewed millions of times on YouTube.
At the vigil on Tuesday, crowds waved iPhone flashlights in the dark and sang along to the harmonica, some starting a chant that has also become synonymous with the protests: "Hong Kong, add oil."
When CNN asked police about the harmonica player, they responded saying a 43-year-old man surnamed Pang had been arrested that night at around 9:30 p.m. He was suspected of committing acts of sedition, and was detained for questioning -- then released on bail pending investigation, police said.
He will be required to report back to police in late November.
Hong Kong's sedition law is part of a 1938 Crimes Ordinance, once used by the colonial government to target pro-China groups and publications -- especially after the Chinese Communist Party came to power, and during anti-government protests in 1967.
It originally defined sedition as speech that brought "hatred or contempt" against the Queen, her heirs, or the Hong Kong government.
The law had remained unused for decades until it was revived in 2020 -- alongside Beijing's introduction of a sweeping national security law, which targets secession, subversion, collusion with foreign forces and terrorist activities.
A conviction under the sedition law carries a maximum two-year sentence.
The revival of the law -- and its use amid a broader crackdown by Hong Kong and Beijing authorities -- has drawn criticism from activists and humanitarian organizations around the world.