Global Courant
HONG KONG — Several versions of the pro-democracy protest song Glory To Hong Kong were unavailable on Apple’s iTunes Store, Spotify, KKBOX, Facebook and Instagram’s Reels on Wednesday after the government filed for a court order to completely ban the song.
A Reuters search for the song’s Chinese title on Apple’s iTunes Store and KKBOX and a search for the song’s English title on Facebook and Instagram’s Reels showed only a Taiwanese version of the song by Taiwanese rock band The Chairman.
The song was the unofficial national anthem of The sometimes violent pro-democracy street protests in Hong Kong in 2019.
Several versions of the song released on Spotify by creator ThomasDGX & HongKongers were no longer available.
The application for an injunction comes after Glory To Hong Kong was accidentally played at several international events, including a Rugby Sevens match and an ice hockey match.
The song was banned in schools in 2020 after China imposed a national security law on the financial center to deal with dissent.
The city’s leader, Mr John Lee, said at a regular government press conference on Tuesday that the song was “not compatible with the national interest”.
“The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has a duty and obligation to ensure national security, and we must do so proactively and also preventatively,” Lee said.
The head of Amnesty International’s China team, Ms Sarah Brooks, said in a statement: “A song is not a threat to national security and national security should not be used as an excuse to deny people the right to express different political views. to express.”
Hong Kong returned from British rule to Chinese rule in 1997 with a guarantee that its freedoms, including freedom of expression, would be protected under the “one country, two systems” formula.
Critics of the national security law say those freedoms have been rapidly eroded.
According to a subpoena seen by Reuters, the government is seeking to ban the performance and distribution of the song, including online, the melody and lyrics, and any adaptations.
The subpoena also listed 32 YouTube videos related to the song, including instrumental and sign language versions.
