Authorities have been left red-faced by 'mix-ups' with the song being played instead of China's national anthem
Pro-democracy protesters gather to sing 'Glory to Hong Kong' in a shopping mall in September 2019. (Photo: AFP)
A Hong Kong court has adjourned a hearing on a government application seeking a ban on a pro-democracy protest song called Glory to Hong Kong.
Judge Wilson Chan of the Court of First Instance on Monday adjourned the hearing on the application from the Department of Justice (DOJ) for an interim injunction on the song until July 21, Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP) reported on June 12.
The department’s lawyer said the injunction was aimed at people who “are conducting or intending to conduct” the distribution of the song with the intention of inciting secession, sedition, or to violate the national anthem law.
The authorities also sought to bar the facilitation and authorization of those acts.
The judge questioned whether the injunction would target only those who conducted or intended to conduct the acts, and suggested the government publish a notice about the injunction, if granted, in at least one Chinese-language and one English-language newspaper in the city.
The DoJ representative said in response that the notice would be published on government websites, as well as a QR code link to documents relating to the notice.
The song, which was popular during the 2019 extradition bill protests, contains the phrase “liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times,” which was ruled to be secessionist in the territory's first national security trial, the government said, according to HKFP.
The pro-democracy protests triggered a heavy crackdown by Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing administration, leading to the arrest and jailing of hundreds of democracy advocates and supporters.
In the aftermath, Beijing imposed its repressive national security law in 2020 with the aim to crush any form of dissent in the semi-autonomous former British colony.
The action against the protest song was triggered by a number of anthem mix-ups in recent months.
The protest song was played instead of China’s national anthem March of the Volunteers, at sports competition ceremonies.
Last year, Google refused to take action, when searches for “Hong Kong national anthem” pointed to the Wikipedia page for the protest song.
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