A 25-year-old Houston Rockets fan in China threatened to burn the Chinese flag in protest of the ongoing disputebetween Beijing and the NBA team, and told police to "come and arrest him." He was behind bars hours later.
Authorities in China's northeastern Jilin province said the man, Howard Wang, was accused of publishing "insults directed against the national flag" on Weibo, China's equivalent to Twitter. Wang was arrested shortly afterward and the case is being investigated, local police said in a statement. It is illegal to desecrate the flag in China and offenders can face up to 3 years in prison. Wang's social media post was published Sunday, a few days after longtime Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey sent a tweet in support of months-long anti-government protests in Hong Kong.
Authorities in China's northeastern Jilin province said the man, Howard Wang, was accused of publishing "insults directed against the national flag" on Weibo, China's equivalent to Twitter. Wang was arrested shortly afterward and the case is being investigated, local police said in a statement. It is illegal to desecrate the flag in China and offenders can face up to 3 years in prison. Wang's social media post was published Sunday, a few days after longtime Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey sent a tweet in support of months-long anti-government protests in Hong Kong.
