HONG KONG, Oct 20 — An anthem long embraced by Liverpool Football Club has become the latest battle line drawn between Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protesters and the city’s police.
Demonstrators have begun singing “You’ll Never Walk Alone” and banners bearing the song’s title have sprung up at protest sites in the southern Chinese city after a pro-government lawmaker used it to defend the police.
The chant is the most recent addition to a protest soundtrack that has included a rousing battle-cry from the hit musical “Les Miserables”, and a local rock ballad from the 1990s.
Ugly clashes have broken out in recent days between police and demonstrators who have staged more than three weeks of rallies that have paralysed parts of the Asian financial hub.
During a meeting at the city’s legislative body last Thursday discussing the police’s handling of the demonstrations, prominent pro-Beijing legislator Tam Yiu-chung said officers should take heart from “You’ll Never Walk Alone”.
But Tam’s comments caused a furore among local Liverpool fans who noted the song has long been synonymous with the club’s fight against police fabrications following the 1989 Hillsborough disaster in which 96 fans died.
In the aftermath of the stadium crush, British police falsely blamed fans for the chaos, prompting a lengthy legal battle to clear the club’s name. The fight largely ended in 2012 when an official government panel found police incompetence was primarily responsible.
More than 1,000 local fans penned their names to a two-page advert in the popular pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily on Saturday condemning the use of the song to defend police. — AFP
