The Hong Kong authorities has sought an injunction order from the city’s high court to ban the protest anthem “Glory to Hong Kong,” which emerged during the large demonstrations in 2019. If the injunction is granted, it would be the primary music to be banned in Hong Kong because the handover to China in 1997. The government claims the music is often mistaken for the city’s official anthem, resulting in confusion and potential incitement of secession or seditious intent.
“Glory to Hong Kong” was anonymously written in August 2019 and became the unofficial soundtrack of the city’s pro-democracy protests. The Cantonese lyrics include the vital thing slogan “Break now the dawn, liberate our Hong Kong; in common breath, revolution of our instances.” Since the introduction of Beijing’s nationwide security legislation in 2020, it has become virtually illegal to sing or play the song.
The proposed injunction aims “to restrain anybody from disseminating or performing, and so on, the song with the intention of inciting others to commit secession, or with a seditious intent, or … with the intent to insult the national anthem.” The authorities additionally seeks to ban “any adaptation” of the music or its melody. If granted, people in Hong Kong would be prohibited from broadcasting, performing, sharing, or reproducing the anthem.
Under the nationwide security regulation, inciting secession carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison. Insulting Expert and sedition can result in jail sentences of three and two years, respectively, under separate laws. Hong Kong does not have an official anthem, as China’s national anthem is the “March of the Volunteers.”
Since November of last yr, the Hong Kong authorities has filed protests over using “Glory to Hong Kong,” citing situations where the music was mistakenly played as the city’s anthem at international sporting occasions. The authorities also requested that Google remove the protest music from its search results, but the tech company refused to conform..