Hong Kong authorities seeks court docket injunction to ban protest music

Hong Kong’s authorities has requested a court docket to ban a well-liked music which grew to become an unofficial anthem for the 2019 pro-democracy protests.

In an announcement, the Department of Justice mentioned it had utilized for an injunction on Monday to make it unlawful to carry out or disseminate the protest music – Glory to Hong Kong – in a bid to stop folks from inciting secession or insulting China’s nationwide anthem.

“Recently, the song has also been mistakenly presented as the ‘national anthem of Hong Kong’ repeatedly,” the federal government mentioned in an announcement.

“This has not only insulted the national anthem but also caused serious damage to the country and the HKSAR.”

The authorities can also be making an attempt to ban 32 movies of the music on YouTube, together with the English, Dutch and Japanese variations.

The injunction utility comes after the music has been performed at a number of international occasions, together with an ice hockey competitors in February.

Hong Kong doesn’t have its personal anthem.

The protest anthem was mistakenly performed as an alternative of the Chinese nationwide anthem – March of the Volunteers – after the Hong Kong ice hockey group defeated Iran at a world competitors.

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Google has mentioned it is not going to modify its search outcomes to show China’s nationwide anthem as an alternative of the protest music when customers seek for Hong Kong’s anthem.

Demonstrators within the former British colony regarded Glory to Hong Kong as their nationwide anthem when it was composed in 2019 through the protests towards a now-shelved extradition invoice that allowed for suspects to be despatched to mainland China for trial.

In 2020, the music was forbidden in faculties on account of a nationwide safety legislation enforced by China on the monetary hub to penalise actions corresponding to secession, subversion, terrorism, and alignment with overseas entities, leading to potential life imprisonment.

The administration is presently awaiting directives from the court docket, and a listening to date has but to be scheduled.