Beijing, Sep 5 (PTI) Chinese police have detained a 47-year-old man for allegedly making “inappropriate comments” on China’s recent military parade and spreading rumours.
According to the cyber police in Xiangyang city, the man, surnamed Meng, made slanderous and derogatory remarks on Wednesday while commenting on a social media post about the military parade in Beijing to mark the 80th anniversary of China’s victory over Japan in World War II.
When others expressed patriotic sentiment, Meng “insulted them and spread rumours, provoking strong anger among netizens”, the police said in a statement on Thursday.
The police launched an investigation and Meng, hailing from the central province of Hubei, admitted to his “unlawful behaviour”, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported on Friday, citing the statement.
Meng was detained in Zaoyang city for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” – a catch-all criminal offence in China.
Police said his comments had “hurt people’s patriotic sentiments and caused severe negative social impact” but did not disclose his remarks.
“Any attempts to distort or smear the history, defame military personnel participating in commemorating events or harm patriotic sentiments will be severely punished by public security authorities,” the Xiangyang cyber police said.
The massive military parade was among China’s most important events of the year. The People’s Liberation Army displayed some of its most advanced weapons during the event, including new nuclear missiles, attack drones and stealth fighters.
President Xi Jinping, along with 26 world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, attended the parade.
China passed a law in 2018 banning the slander of those officially designated as heroes and martyrs, followed by a regulation in 2021 that banned the defamation of military personnel.
Several people have been punished under these laws.
In 2021, popular blogger Qiu Ziming was jailed for “slandering” troops killed in the Galwan clash between India and China in Eastern Ladakh the year before. He had questioned the official account of the incident, including the number of Chinese casualties.
China had admitted the death of four of its soldiers and injury to the regiment commander. PTI KJV ZH ZH
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.