Hong Kong court bans chant heard during huge pro-democracy protests

The repression of the pro-democracy movement continues. The Hong Kong Court of Appeal banned singing on Wednesday May 8 Glory to Hong Kong (Glory to Hong Kong) popularized during the 2019 protests. After the local government’s request to prevent the broadcast or even the performance of this piece, “we are satisfied that an injunction should be granted”wrote Judge Jeremy Poon in the legal decision.

With this in mind, the Hong Kong government has asked online platforms to remove any banned protest songs. “The government will contact the affected Internet service providers and request them to remove the content in question in accordance with the injunction,” Hong Kong City Justice Secretary Paul Lam said.

Glory to Hong Kong is thus the first song banned in the territory since the handover of the former British colony to China in 1997. Beijing described this measure as “necessary”.