A heated discussion has erupted in China about a bill that would restrict speech and clothing choices. If this law is passed, those found guilty may be subject to fines or jail, albeit the proposal does not yet provide a precise description of what an offense is.
A brief about China is considering passing a rule that would make it illegal to wear clothing that is detrimental to the “spirit of the nation”
To avoid arbitrary enforcement, both social media users and legal professionals have asked for more clarity.
The first significant modifications to the country’s public security regulations in decades were recently adopted by China.
The public has responded quickly and widely to the clothing law in particular, with many online users decrying it as being excessive and ludicrous.
Those who wear or force others to wear attire and symbols that “undermine the spirit or hurt the feelings of the Chinese nation” may be subject to incarceration for up to 15 days and fines of up to 5,000 yuan (Rs 58,000), according to the contentious wording. The same penalties may apply to people who write or distribute speeches or publications that have similar effects.
The proposed law amendments forbid vandalism of their memorial sculptures as well as “insulting, slandering, or otherwise infringing upon the names of local heroes and martyrs”.
People are speculating online as to how law enforcement officials may decide on their own when the country’s “feelings” had been “hurt.”
Will donning a suit and tie count? a user questioned on the Chinese version of Twitter, Weibo. Marxism has its roots in the West. Would its existence in China likewise be viewed as a grievance against the country?
Legal experts in the nation have also criticized the law’s ambiguous language and cautioned that it may be open to abuse.
According to Zhao Hong, a legal professor at the Chinese University of Political Science and legal, there may be abuses of individual rights as a result of the ambiguity. She recalled an instance from China from the previous year in which a kimono-clad woman was arrested in Suzhou and accused of “picking fights and causing trouble.” On Chinese social media, the incident sparked uproar.
Additionally, there have been additional instances of crackdowns. Police apprehended a woman in a fake Japanese military outfit in March of this year when she was shopping at a night market. A concert by Taiwanese artist Chang Hui-mei was held in Beijing last month, but admission was refused to those wearing apparel with rainbow prints.
Under the pen name Wang Wusi, a well-known social commentator posed the following query: “To wear a kimono is to damage the sensibilities of the Chinese country, to eat Japanese food is to imperil its spirit? When did the enduring Chinese nation’s emotions and spirit become so brittle?
In 2019, the Chinese Communist Party published “morality guidelines,” which stipulated behaviors including being polite, reducing one’s carbon footprint, and having “faith” in Mr. Xi and the party.
