The fact you actually have to mention there is a flag means most people don't know about it. As a someone that has lived in Hong Kong for the last 10 years, even I didn't know this flag exist. Searching online, I cannot say the flag is immediately recognizable.
Maybe the protestors should use the CCP flag instead, but I would give them the benefit of the doubt.
Would you please stop creating new accounts for each comment or two that you post? This is against the site rules, and we ban accounts that do it. Please see https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html.
HN is a community. Users needn't use their real name, but do need some identity for others to relate to. Otherwise we may as well have no usernames and no community, and that would be a different kind of forum. https://hn.algolia.com/?sort=byDate&dateRange=all&type=comme...
Chinese know that there is a party flag. I have to explain to you, I don't have to explain to Chinese people.
By the way, the flag is very prominently displayed in the annual 1st October parade along with the PLA flag (do you know about that one?), in addition to the country flag.
I'm sure they also know what it means to fly the HK British colonial flag, the Union Jack, etc.
It goes beyond the benefit of the doubt...
For someone who claims to have lived in China for 10 years you seem very not curious about your environment and its history.
It seems to me, that in China to attack the party is to attack the state, and vice verse. To quote France's Louis XIV: L'état, c'est moi.
Am I incorrect?