A proposed legislation that seeks to prohibit speech and clothing choices deemed ""detrimental to the spirit of Chinese people"" has ignited a debate within China. If this law is enacted, individuals found guilty could face fines or imprisonment, but the proposal currently lacks a clear definition of what constitutes an offense.
Social media users and legal experts are urging for more precise language in the legislation to prevent potential overreach in its enforcement.
China recently introduced a series of proposed amendments to its public security laws, marking the first significant reforms in decades. The clothing regulation, however, has immediately triggered strong reactions from the public, with many online users criticizing it as excessive and unreasonable.
The contentious clauses of the proposed law suggest that individuals who wear clothing or symbols that are seen as ""undermining the spirit or hurting the feelings of the Chinese nation,"" or who compel others to do so, could face detention for up to 15 days and fines of up to 5,000 yuan ($680; £550). Similarly, those who create or disseminate articles or speech with such content could also be subject to the same penalties.
The proposed legal changes additionally prohibit acts that ""insult, slander, or otherwise infringe upon the names of local heroes and martyrs,"" as well as vandalism of their memorial statues.
Online discussions have raised concerns about how law enforcement authorities could unilaterally determine when the ""feelings"" of the nation are ""hurt.""
""Could wearing a suit and tie be considered an offense? After all, Marxism originated in the West. Would its presence in China also be viewed as hurting national feelings?"" one user questioned on Weibo, a Chinese Twitter-like platform.
Legal experts in the country have criticized the vague wording of the law, fearing it could be subject to abuse. Zhao Hong, a law professor at the Chinese University of Political Science and Law, expressed concerns that the lack of clarity could lead to violations of personal rights. She cited a case from last year where a woman wearing a kimono was detained in Suzhou and accused of ""picking quarrels and provoking trouble,"" sparking outrage on Chinese social media.
There have been other instances of crackdowns, such as the detention of a woman wearing a replica of a Japanese military uniform at a night market in March of this year. Additionally, individuals wearing rainbow-print clothing were denied entry to a concert by Taiwanese singer Chang Hui-mei in Beijing last month.
One popular social commentator who writes under the pseudonym Wang Wusi questioned, ""Wearing a kimono hurts the feelings of the Chinese nation, eating Japanese food endangers its spirit? Since when did the feelings and spirit of the historically resilient Chinese nation become so fragile?""
#China #Clothes #Ban #HWInternational #Nation #Feeling #XiJinping #SocialMedia #HWNews
Social media users and legal experts are urging for more precise language in the legislation to prevent potential overreach in its enforcement.
China recently introduced a series of proposed amendments to its public security laws, marking the first significant reforms in decades. The clothing regulation, however, has immediately triggered strong reactions from the public, with many online users criticizing it as excessive and unreasonable.
The contentious clauses of the proposed law suggest that individuals who wear clothing or symbols that are seen as ""undermining the spirit or hurting the feelings of the Chinese nation,"" or who compel others to do so, could face detention for up to 15 days and fines of up to 5,000 yuan ($680; £550). Similarly, those who create or disseminate articles or speech with such content could also be subject to the same penalties.
The proposed legal changes additionally prohibit acts that ""insult, slander, or otherwise infringe upon the names of local heroes and martyrs,"" as well as vandalism of their memorial statues.
Online discussions have raised concerns about how law enforcement authorities could unilaterally determine when the ""feelings"" of the nation are ""hurt.""
""Could wearing a suit and tie be considered an offense? After all, Marxism originated in the West. Would its presence in China also be viewed as hurting national feelings?"" one user questioned on Weibo, a Chinese Twitter-like platform.
Legal experts in the country have criticized the vague wording of the law, fearing it could be subject to abuse. Zhao Hong, a law professor at the Chinese University of Political Science and Law, expressed concerns that the lack of clarity could lead to violations of personal rights. She cited a case from last year where a woman wearing a kimono was detained in Suzhou and accused of ""picking quarrels and provoking trouble,"" sparking outrage on Chinese social media.
There have been other instances of crackdowns, such as the detention of a woman wearing a replica of a Japanese military uniform at a night market in March of this year. Additionally, individuals wearing rainbow-print clothing were denied entry to a concert by Taiwanese singer Chang Hui-mei in Beijing last month.
One popular social commentator who writes under the pseudonym Wang Wusi questioned, ""Wearing a kimono hurts the feelings of the Chinese nation, eating Japanese food endangers its spirit? Since when did the feelings and spirit of the historically resilient Chinese nation become so fragile?""
#China #Clothes #Ban #HWInternational #Nation #Feeling #XiJinping #SocialMedia #HWNews
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NewsTranscript
00:00 Welcome to HW International, A proposed legislation that seeks to prohibit speech and clothing
00:18 choices deemed detrimental to the spirit of Chinese people has ignited a debate within
00:23 China.
00:24 If this law is enacted, individuals found guilty could face fines or imprisonment, but
00:29 the proposal currently lacks a clear definition of what constitutes an offence.
00:35 Social media users and legal experts are urging for more precise language in the legislation
00:40 to prevent potential overreach in its enforcement.
00:43 China recently introduced a series of proposed amendments to its public security laws, marking
00:49 the first significant reforms in decades.
00:52 The clothing regulation, however, has immediately triggered strong reactions from the public,
00:58 with many online users criticising it as excessive and unreasonable.
01:02 The contentious clauses of the proposed law suggest that individuals who wear clothing
01:07 or symbols that are seen as undermining the spirit or hurting the feelings of the Chinese
01:12 nation, or who compel others to do so, could face detention for up to 15 days and fines
01:18 of up to 5,000 yuan ($680, £550).
01:24 Similarly, those who create or disseminate articles or speeches with such content could
01:29 also be subject to the same penalties.
01:32 The proposed legal changes additionally prohibit acts that insult, slander, or otherwise infringe
01:39 upon the names of local heroes and martyrs, as well as vandalism of their memorial statues.
01:45 Online discussions have raised concerns about how law enforcement authorities could unilaterally
01:50 determine when the feelings of the nation are hurt.
01:54 Could wearing a suit and tie be considered an offence?
01:57 After all, Marxism originated in the West.
02:00 Would its presence in China also be viewed as hurting national feelings?
02:05 One user questioned on Weibao, a Chinese Twitter-like platform.
02:09 Legal experts in the country have criticised the vague wording of the law, fearing it could
02:14 be subject to abuse.
02:16 Zhao Hong, a law professor at the Chinese University of Political Science and Law, expressed
02:22 concerns that the lack of clarity could lead to violations of personal rights.
02:27 She cited a case from last year where a woman wearing a kimono was detained in Suzhou and
02:32 accused of picking quarrels and provoking trouble, sparking outrage on Chinese social
02:37 media.
02:38 There have been other instances of crackdowns, such as the detention of a woman wearing a
02:43 replica of a Japanese military uniform at a night market in March of this year.
02:48 Additionally, individuals wearing rainbow-print clothing were denied entry to a concert by
02:53 Taiwanese singer Chang Hui-mei in Beijing last month.
02:57 One popular social commentator who writes under the pseudonym Wang Wusi questioned,
03:02 wearing a kimono hurts the feelings of the Chinese nation, eating Japanese food endangers
03:07 its spirit.
03:08 Since when did the feelings and spirit of the historically resilient Chinese nation
03:12 become so fragile?
03:15 This draft law is just one example of how Chinese President Xi Jinping has aimed to
03:19 redefine the characteristics of a model Chinese citizen since coming to power in 2012.
03:26 In 2019, the Chinese Communist Party issued morality guidelines that included directives
03:32 like being polite, reducing one's carbon footprint, and expressing faith in President Xi and the
03:37 party.
03:39 For more such news and updates subscribe to HW News English.
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