Hong Kong authorities seeks courtroom injunction to ban protest tune

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

In a press release, the Department of Justice stated it had utilized for an injunction on Monday to make it unlawful to carry out or disseminate the protest tune – Glory to Hong Kong – in a bid to forestall 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 stated in a press release.

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

The authorities can also be attempting to ban 32 movies of the tune on YouTube, together with the English, Dutch and Japanese variations.

The injunction utility comes after the tune has been performed at a number of world 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 crew defeated Iran at a global competitors.

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Google has stated it is not going to modify its search outcomes to show China’s nationwide anthem as an alternative of the protest tune 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 in the course of the protests towards a now-shelved extradition invoice that allowed for suspects to be despatched to mainland China for trial.

In 2020, the tune was forbidden in faculties as a consequence of a nationwide safety regulation enforced by China on the monetary hub to penalise actions reminiscent of secession, subversion, terrorism, and alignment with overseas entities, leading to potential life imprisonment.

The administration is at the moment awaiting directives from the courtroom, and a listening to date has but to be scheduled.