Hong Kong man arrested after paying tribute to the Queen

A woman lays flowers as a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II outside the British Consulate in Hong Kong, Friday, Sept. 16, 2022. Hundreds of Hong Kong residents are lining up in front of the British Consulate General for hours each day to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II, leaving piles of flowers and handwritten notes. (AP Photo/Anthony Kwan)

Police in Hong Kong say they have arrested a man who paid tribute to the Queen for alleged sedition.

Officers said the 43-year-old was detained late on Monday near the British consulate, where dozens of people had gathered to remember the late monarch.

The Queen was sovereign in the city when it was a British colony before its handover to Chinese rule in 1997.

Local media reports said the detained man had stood outside the consulate playing songs on a harmonica including Glory To Hong Kong, the anthem of pro-democracy protests that rocked the city in 2019.

People wait in line to pay tribute to the Queen (Anthony Kwan/AP)

Video shared on social media showed the crowd singing along as the man played.

Police said the man was arrested on suspicion of “committing an act with seditious intent”. They did not provide further details.

Thousands of Hong Kong residents have lined up in recent days in front of the consulate and left floral tributes to the Queen, known affectionately as “boss lady” by many in the city who still remember colonial rule.

Until the arrest, Hong Kong authorities had allowed the orderly, sombre outpouring of grief to continue.