Published: Tuesday, May 21, 2024
HONG KONG – Hong Kong’s leader announced Tuesday that his administration will continue to monitor for any noncompliance of a court order banning a popular song of protest, just days after YouTube had blocked access to the tune.
The ban is aimed at anyone who broadcasts, distributes or uses “Glory to Hong Kong”, a song that was popularly sung in large anti-government demonstrations of 2019 to promote the separation between Hong Kong and China. The ban also includes any action that misrepresents the song as being the national anthem in an attempt to insult it.
In his weekly press briefing, John Lee, the Chief Executive, said that if there were any instances of noncompliance by the government, they would notify the relevant platforms on the internet about the injunction.
Lee stated, “I think that operators generally operate within the laws. We will continue to monitor this situation.”
The government’s court request has raised concern over the further erosion of the city’s internet and freedom of expression. Critics also warn that it could disrupt the operations of tech giants, and undermine the appeal of the city as a global finance hub.
YouTube last week blocked 32 videos that were deemed “prohibited publications”, under the injunction, for viewers within the city. The tech company expressed disappointment at the court’s ruling and said that it would consider all of its appeal options.
Lee stated in the news briefing that there was no link to the song on any local platform and that “Google’s Search doesn’t Show Any Link to the Song in Question.” Later, a government transcript clarified Lee’s comments to refer to links specified in an injunction.
On Tuesday morning, the Associated Press discovered videos of this song on YouTube. The song is available on Apple Music and Spotify.
Hong Kong’s viewers are not sure if the tech giants plan to block the access to additional audio or video clips. Google, Spotify, and Apple have not yet commented.
“Glory To Hong Kong” has been widely regarded as the protest song of the 2019 movement. This was followed by a brutal crackdown which virtually erased all dissenting voices from the city.
City officials were also angry when the song was played at international sporting events in place of China’s “March of the Volunteers” national anthem.
Last year, the government took Google to court after it refused to display the protest song as the first result when searching for the city anthem.