Chinese woman arrested for ‘disrespecting' red scarf

'The scarf is emblematic of the blood of revolutionary martyrs', police say

The woman fell foul of China’s Law on Heroes and Martyrs protection, which criminalises the defamation of the country’s revolutionary heroes and symbols (China Photos/Getty Images)

A woman has been arrested in China after appearing in videos wearing a red scarf, a symbol of the Communist party’s youth league.

The woman, surnamed Tang, regularly appeared in the scarf during videos she posted on streaming app Kuaishou, the state-run Global Times reported.

Police said she had been detained and fined because “the red scarf represents a corner of the red flag and symbolises the revolutionary tradition. The scarf is emblematic of the blood of revolutionary martyrs.”

The statement added: “Tang’s behaviour has seriously defiled patriotic heroes and martyrs, the glory of the Young Pioneers, and people’s love for the country symbolised by the red scarf, causing a bad influence on society.”

It said she had filmed herself catching fish while wearing the red scarf since 2018 in order to attract more followers.

Ms Tang was arrested last month and detained for 12 days, and was ordered to pay a 1,000 yuan (£114) and delete the videos.

A man who shot the videos was released with a warning, the South China Morning Post reports.

The woman was punished under China’s recently enacted Law on Heroes and Martyrs protection, which criminalises the defamation of the country’s revolutionary heroes and symbols.