sedition

Benjamin Franklin’s 1773 “Rules by Which a Great Empire May Be Reduced to a Small One” used irony to lampoon British policy, undermining authority while avoiding direct flouting of the era’s harsh sedition laws.

In 2024 Hong Kong passed a domestic national security law known as Article 23, criminalising crimes such as sedition and treason.

The government also filed sedition charges against him, though these were eventually dropped.

Indeed, the Enemy Aliens Act is the only component of the sedition acts that hasn’t been repealed or allowed to expire.

The show sparked intense backlash and accusations of "treason," "sedition" and even "betrayal".