Queen Elizabeth has become a potent symbol of Hong Kongers’ resentment of authoritarian rule, attracting crowds that wait in line for hours to leave piles of flowers, handwritten notes and their names in the British Consulate’s condolences book.

The island’s outpouring of grief at Her Majesty’s death has been perhaps the most ardent of all the former British colonies and is seen in part as being inspired by a form of dissent against increasingly intrusive controls imposed by communist-ruled Beijing, which took over the territory in 1997.

“I would imagine that some people are going there not so much for nostalgia reasons, but as a kind of protest, now that dissent is suppressed,” said John Burns, an honorary professor of politics at the University of Hong Kong.

“Some people, for example, who agree with the kind of universal values that the United Kingdom stands for, and that were incorporated in our Bill of Rights at the end of colonialism, could participate in this as a form of protest,” Burns said.

Some Hong Kongers are nostalgic for what they view as a past “golden age” under Britain’s not entirely democratic colonial rule, when the city of about seven million people gained stature as a world financial centre and tourism destination.

In Hong Kong, the memorial for Queen Elizabeth II at the British Consulate General has given some residents a rare platform for public, if quiet, political dissent. @ZixuWang_News heard from the people at the memorial today.https://t.co/nMsxbOr85H

— John Yoon (@johnjyoon) September 16, 2022

The Queen was nicknamed si tau por in Hong Kong. Pronounced “see-tao-POHR” in the local Cantonese dialect, which translates to “boss lady”.

“We used to call her si tau por when we were under her rule. It’s simply a way of showing respect to her. There was a feeling of kindness from her, she’s not the kind of boss who is up above you,” said CK Li, a resident who queued for over two hours to pay his respects.

Another resident, 80-year-old Eddie Wong, said she was standing in line “out of true feelings” from her heart. “People in Hong Kong love her,” Ms Wong said.

“When we were under her rule, we enjoyed democracy and freedom and we were very grateful. I want to bid farewell to si tau por, who is in heaven.”

Beijing’s broken promise

With its July 1, 1997, takeover China promised to leave Hong Kong’s Western-style civil liberties and institutions intact for at least 50 years. Many raised in the former territory grew up hoping for still greater freedoms.

But following months of anti-government protests in 2019 prompted by an initial tightening of laws and penalties, Beijing imposed a tough national security law on the city and has sought to stamp out all public dissent while imprisoning the Xi regime’s critics.

News outlets deemed overly critical of Beijing have been forced to shut down and dozens of activists have been arrested. The mass protests ended. Tens of thousands of Hong Kong residents have chosen to emigrate to the United Kingdom and other places such as Taiwan.

So far, the authorities have allowed the orderly, sombre shows of respect outside the consulate to continue.

Emotions in Hong Kong are running high, said former Democratic Party chair and former lawmaker Emily Lau, given the city’s political situation and its struggles in fighting COVID-19.

“There are some who are genuinely nostalgic and have sentimental feelings for the Queen, but there are also people who have grievances about the current situation in Hong Kong,” Lau said.

“We cannot rule out that some have used this occasion to express that,” she said.

Forced to apologise

At the same time, public figures in Hong Kong are being scrutinised over their response to the Queen’s passing, and drawing criticism if they are viewed as too admiring of her reign or British rule in general.

Commenters on mainland Chinese social media sites have blasted veteran actor Law Kar-ying for posting a selfie outside the British Consulate on Instagram with a caption including the line, “Hong Kong was a blessed land under her reign.”

Harshly criticised for attributing Hong Kong’s prosperity to British rule, Law deleted the post and issued a video apology on the Chinese microblogging site Weibo. He appealed to people not to read too much into what he said.

“I am Chinese and I will forever love my motherland. I’m sorry,” Law said.

Not all Hong Kongers are sentimental about British rule. Some resent London’s decision not to grant them full British citizenship, instead giving them British National Overseas passports before the handover, which do not guarantee a right to live in the UK.

“The British took away the rights of those born in Hong Kong before 1997. They didn’t protect those rights,” said Leslie Chan, who said he had no plans to show his respects to the Queen.

“When the British government discussed with China about the future of Hong Kong, Hong Kongers were cut off from the discussion,” he said.

Some in Hong Kong are only focusing on the last few decades of British rule before the handover to China, when the city became increasingly prosperous and the colonial government burnished its legacy with new parks, train lines and other modern amenities.

-with AAP