Versions of Glory to Hong Kong, the unofficial anthem of the city’s pro-democracy movement in 2019, have disappeared from several streaming platforms, amid a government bid to ban online distribution of the song.
Variations of the song distributed by DGX Music, the team of creators who own the rights to the title, were no longer available on Spotify, Apple’s iTunes, Facebook and KKBOX worldwide on Wednesday, though a rendition performed by a Taiwanese band still remained. Several music videos were also accessible on YouTube on Thursday.
In a social media post on Wednesday, DGX Music said it was handling “technical issues unrelated to the streaming platforms” and apologised for the “temporary impact”.
Spotify confirmed to the Guardian the song was taken down by the distributor, not by the platform.
The song became widely popular during the 2019 pro-democracy protests and was repeatedly mistaken as Hong Kong’s official anthem during international sporting events, angering authorities.
The city government applied last week for a court injunction to block its distribution. Citing the need to safeguard national security, it is seeking to prohibit anyone from broadcasting the song – including its melody, lyrics or any adaptation – with a seditious intent or to incite secession on any media accessible online. The hearing on the court order has been adjourned to 21 July.
The Hong Kong government allege the lyrics of the song contained a slogan that amounts to advocating secession under a previous court ruling. Its writ also included links to 32 YouTube videos related to the song.
The attempt to ban the song outright pushed it to the top of the charts in Apple’s iTunes store in Hong Kong last week as people rushed to download the title.
The court bid was the latest twist in Hong Kong authorities’ ongoing feud with internet giants such as Google for hosting the work. Officials blame Google for featuring it prominently in the search results and have tried to pressure it into removing the song.
Eric Lai Ho-yan, a fellow at the Georgetown Center for Asian Law, said the injunction, if granted, would put foreign tech companies that host the song on their platforms in a dilemma, forcing them to choose between upholding their commitment to freedom of expression and complying with the court order to avoid being liable for contempt.
“This move tells us that the HK government is relentlessly weaponising the laws and courts to create a chilling effect in society,” Lai said.
