Hongkongers rush to download banned protest song

Hong Kongers rushed to download a song associated with the 2019 protests after the government sought to get the courts to outlaw the unofficial anthem. 

Variations of Glory to Hong Kong accounted for all of the top 10 slots on Apple Inc.’s iTunes charts in the city on Wednesday. Each song cost between HK$6 and HK$8 (US$1.02) to purchase. 

The justice department on Monday applied for a court injunction to ban anyone with criminal intent from “broadcasting, performing, printing, publishing, selling, offering for sale, distributing, disseminating, displaying or reproducing” the song. This includes the use of any internet-based platform, according to a government statement released Tuesday.

According to the Judiciary's website, the injunction case has been scheduled to be heard in High Court next Monday (June 12).

Glory to Hong Kong caused a showdown between the government and Alphabet Inc.’s Google last year after it appeared at the top of searches for Hong Kong’s national anthem, instead of China’s March of the Volunteers.

Google’s apparent refusal to change the results came after the protest song was played by mistake at a number of international sporting events. 

A court order would ban anyone from playing the song for reasons such as if the user had seditious intent, or if the song was likely to be mistaken for Hong Kong’s national anthem, according to the government statement. 

“Knowingly authorizing, permitting or allowing others to commit or participate in any of the acts” would also not be permitted, the statement said. 

(Staff reporter and Bloomberg)