søndag 16. januar 2022

Hong Kong police switch to goose-stepping ‘to show patriotism’

Hong Kong’s entire police force will switch from colonial-era British marching drills to the goose-stepping style seen on the Chinese mainland, the city’s force said Friday, citing the need to show officers’ “patriotism.” The stiff-legged marching technique was first publicly demonstrated by Hong Kong officers on April 15 during National Security Education Day — designated to mark a Beijing-imposed law that has empowered a crackdown on dissent.

The force has “actively planned for the full rollout of Chinese-style foot drills in order to show patriotism and foster love for our motherland and Hong Kong,” police told AFP in a statement Friday. Staff from China’s People’s Liberation Army barracks in Hong Kong have been teaching the city’s police officers the technique since February 2021. Police have used goose-stepping in ceremonies and parades, but it will become part of officers’ daily routines from July 1 — the same day Hong Kong marks 25 years since the former British colony was handed back to China.