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full screen The protests in Hong Kong in 2019 continued for several months with clashes between protesters and police. Now a song associated with the protests is banned. Archive image. Photo: Kin Cheung/AP/TT
The popular song “Glory to Hong Kong” was widely used by protesters during the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong in 2019.
But now it may be over. China’s bid for a ban has been given the green light by an appeals court.
The song is said to have been mistakenly played several times at international sporting events instead of the Chinese national anthem “March of the Volunteers”, which has angered those in power in Beijing.
Already last year, the Chinese government took Google to court after unsuccessful pressure aimed at putting “March of the Volunteers” as the first search result for Hong Kong’s national anthem, instead of the now-banned song. China lost that lawsuit, but has now been vindicated in a higher court.
Critics say the ban is another way to limit free speech in Hong Kong, after Beijing cracked down on widespread protests in the city in 2019.
Beijing has previously asked local schools to ban the song. Mainland China has stressed that it respects freedom in accordance with the city’s laws, but that “freedom of expression is not absolute”.