World News | Hong Kong protest song disappears from music streaming sites, social media platforms

HONG KONG, June 14 (AP) – A popular Hong Kong protest song was no longer played on several major music streaming sites and social media platforms Wednesday after the government sought to ban it.

“Glory to Hong Kong” became an unofficial protest song during the 2019 pro-democracy protests.

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In 2020, the government outlawed the protest slogan “Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of Our Times” because of its separatist and subversive connotations, and the song is widely believed to have been banned in the city because its lyrics contained parts of the slogan.

Hong Kong, once a bastion of freedom of speech and expression, has come under increased scrutiny from Beijing following the 2019 unrest. Since then, Hong Kong’s political system has undergone major reforms to ensure that only “patriots” loyal to Beijing can hold public office.

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More than 250 people have been arrested under sweeping national security laws passed in 2020 that critics say are designed to silence dissent.

The song topped Apple’s iTunes chart last week after the Hong Kong government applied to a court to ban “illegal acts” related to the song and any derivative works, including lyrics and melody.

But on Wednesday, the song was no longer available on music streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. The original version of the tune is also unavailable on Facebook and Instagram’s Reels feature.

It is unclear whether “Glory to Hong Kong” was removed from the platform, or if the song was taken down by its creator.

In a post on its Facebook page, the song’s creator, DGX Music, said it was “working through some technical issues related to the streaming platform” and apologized for the “temporary” issue.

Facebook, Instagram, Spotify and Apple Music were not immediately available for comment.

Versions of the song, including the original author’s version, are still available on the video streaming site YouTube.

Over the past year, the song has been erroneously played as the Hong Kong national anthem at several international sporting events instead of the Chinese national anthem “March of the Volunteers,” prompting the Hong Kong government to seek an injunction against the song.

A Hong Kong court on Monday adjourned an injunction hearing until July 21.

At a regular news conference on Tuesday, Hong Kong’s chief executive, Lee Kar-chao, said the song “is not in the national interest” and that Hong Kong should “proactively and preventively” safeguard national security. (Associated Press)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the body of content may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)