Hong Kong’s government will be able to proceed with making a protest song illegal under the city’s national security laws after winning a court challenge. The High Court had last year rejected the government’s request for Glory to Hong Kong to be banned, saying it would have “chilling effects” on free speech. But on Wednesday an appeal court overturned that ruling.
The move is likely to deepen concerns about freedoms being further eroded in the city.
In the court’s ruling on Wednesday, it said that the song can still be used for “academic” or “news” activities.
It is also illegal for people to use the song to advocate for Hong Kong’s separation from China, and to present it as the anthem of the territory.
Hong Kong is part of China, but has had some autonomy since the end of British rule in 1997. Campaigners say that democratic freedoms have been gradually eroded since then. The song Glory to Hong Kong – sung in the territory’s native dialect Cantonese – emerged during pro-democracy protests in 2019 against a controversial extradition law and later became the unofficial anthem of the movement.
Credit: bbc.com
