‘Glory to Hong Kong’ disappears from major streaming platforms: Here’s why

As of Thursday (June 15), several streaming platforms have dropped versions of ‘Glory to Hong Kong’ which is said to be the unofficial anthem of the city’s pro-democracy movement created in 2019, as the government has now sought a ban on the online distribution of the song. This also comes days after the Hong Kong government filed an injunction citing security reasons.

Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests and its unofficial anthem

As mass protests raged across the city, in 2019, people would sing ‘Glory to Hong Kong’ which was also created in the same year, for months, with the song containing lyrics that reference the phrase “liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times,” a protest slogan.

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As per media reports, the song disappeared from streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple’s iTunes, Facebook and Taiwan’s KKBOX, on Wednesday but several music videos were accessible on Youtube, a day later.

The song was distributed by DGX Music, a team of creators with the rights to the title, while “ThomasDGX & HongKongers” are known to be the original composer of the orchestral anthem. A spokesperson from Spotify on Thursday in a short statement to various media outlets said that the song was taken down by the distributor, not by the platform.

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Meanwhile, DGX Music took to social media and said it was facing some “technical issues unrelated to the streaming platforms” and apologised for the “temporary impact,” as per The Guardian.

Hong Kong government’s injunction against 'Glory'

Earlier this month, Hong Kong’s government filed an injunction which sought a ban on the broadcast or distribution of the protest song. It is also worth noting that it was not until recently that the song came under scrutiny after it was played at some international events in place of the Chinese anthem.

The move has also reportedly prompted many locals in Hong Kong to download the song in recent days which also pushed it to the top of the charts in Apple’s iTunes store in Hong Kong last week as a court ban loomed.

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While the court was to issue a ruling on the case on Monday, it was postponed till July 21 as it has asked the Hong Kong government to be more specific in the scope of its request. Notably, the writ filed by the city’s government on June 5 also included links to 32 YouTube videos related to the song which included instrumental and sign language versions.

The injunction filed by the Department of Justice has alleged the song’s “melody or lyrics or in combination” and called for the ban as it could incite “others to commit secession.”

The Hong Kong government has also sought to “restrain anyone from “broadcasting, performing, printing, publishing, selling, offering for sale, distributing, disseminating, displaying or reproducing (the song) in any way,” as per CNN.

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Hong Kong City official John Lee told reporters they are taking action against ‘Glory to Hong Kong’ as it is “not compatible with the national interest.” He added, “Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has a duty and obligation to safeguard national security, and we should do it proactively and also preventively.”

The move to ban the unofficial protest song also follows China’s imposition of a sweeping National Security Law in 2020 on Hong Kong which critics said was Beijing’s bid to crack down on dissent during the aftermath of the city-wide democracy protests and reduce its autonomy.

The officials in Hong Kong have also accused Google of featuring the song prominently in its search results. However, the United States-based tech giant has said that it was decided by its algorithm and based on various criteria including popularity and relevance.

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‘Absurd’: Amnesty International about the looming ban

The head of Amnesty International’s China team, Sarah Brooks, has called the move to ban ‘Glory to Hong Kong’ by the city’s government “absurd”.

“The Hong Kong government must end its increasingly fervent crackdown on freedom of expression. A song is not a threat to national security, and national security may not be used as an excuse to deny people the right to express different political views,” said Brooks.

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