Hong Kong protest anthem tops iTunes chart after government seeks court ban

Hong Kongers are racing to download a popular protest anthem after the Chinese territory’s government filed for a court injunction that could force US technology giants such as Google and Meta to block access to it.

“Glory to Hong Kong”, which was written in 2019 and swiftly picked up by the pro-democracy protest movement across the city, topped local iTunes charts for two days this week while pro-Beijing politicians urged residents to take it to their Was warned to remove from equipment.

The government’s filing on Monday cited 32 YouTube videos that could now be blocked and deemed “seditious”.

The song, which has also been uploaded to Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, has been repeatedly mistakenly played at international sporting events instead of the Chinese national anthem, “March of the Volunteers”, which has been condemned by the Hong Kong government.

Beijing responded to the 2019 demonstrations with a sweeping crackdown on dissent in the city, implementing a national security law in 2020 that threatens up to life imprisonment for broadly defined crimes such as “subversion” and “collusion with foreign forces”. gives.

Activists have fled or been jailed, school curriculums have been overhauled for patriotic content, public libraries have removed sensitive titles from their stacks and independent media outlets have been forced to cease operations.

“I want to have a record,” said a 20-year-old local resident who downloaded the song on Wednesday after news of the government’s court request broke. “I’m more worried if the big companies succumb to it.”

As Hong Kong seeks to revive its status as a global financial hub, the government’s filing revived growing liability concerns for foreign tech companies operating in the region.

“Tech companies like Google and Meta don’t have much choice but to deal with court injunctions,” said George Chen, Meta’s former head of public policy for Greater China and now managing director of Hong Kong and Taiwan in the Asia group. Think-tank in Washington.

“They may fully comply, or partially comply, or ignore,” Chen said. “Partial compliance usually means that you block something only for local users”, known as “geo-blocking”.

YouTube parent company Google and Facebook parent Meta declined a request for comment. Apple and Twitter did not respond to requests for comment.

Hong Kong’s High Court will hear the government’s request on Monday.

For months, the city’s leader, John Lee, prompted Google to change its search results to rank the Chinese national anthem above “Glory to Hong Kong”. Google has refused to do so.

Under the injunction application filed this week, the “melody or lyrics or combination” of the song will be banned to avoid “inciting disharmony among others”.

The composer of the song, who goes by the initials T, told the Financial Times in 2019 that it was written “spiritually”. , , strengthen their (protesters’) will”.

Its lyrics contain a line: “Break the dawn now, liberate our Hong Kong. In common breath: The revolution of our times!”, a protest slogan deemed illegal by Hong Kong’s government.

“Thoughts, they’re bulletproof,” said Tee.

According to barrister Ken Casey Lee, even whistle blowing could have legal ramifications if an injunction is granted. It will be a comprehensive step, he said.

Last year, a harmonica player was arrested after playing “Glory to Hong Kong” outside the British Consulate to mourn the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

Chen, the former Meta executive, raised the possibility of local offices and employees of the US tech giant facing legal consequences. “It is no longer ‘business as usual’ for tech companies in Hong Kong,” he said.