The Hong Kong government's bid to ban the popular protest song, "Glory to Hong Kong," online has raised fears that tech giant Google could leave the city altogether.
The song entitled "Glory to Hong Kong" has become an unofficial anthem for the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong. Notably, the anthem, sung by protesters during the 2019 protests, has gained popularity online, amassing millions of views on YouTube.
Hong Kong Bid to Ban Protest Song Raises Fears of Google Pullout
The high court (R) is seen in Hong Kong on June 6, 2023, after the government sought the city's court to impose an injuction to ban "Glory to Hong Kong", a song born out of the pro-democracy demonstrations in 2019.
According to a report by Bloomberg, the Hong Kong government is now seeking to ban the song, citing "national security" concerns. The government has also asked the Google-owned service YouTube to remove the song from the platform.
To be more precise, the Hong Kong authorities have asked the high court to ban at least 32 videos posted on YouTube, which feature the protest song.
The move to ban "Glory to Hong Kong" is now spurring fear that US-based tech giants like Google might consider pulling out from China's Special Administrative Region (SAR).
The protest anthem grew in popularity during the Hong Kong mass protests in 2019. And since then, the song has been erroneously played in various public events instead of the Chinese national anthem.
Read Also: Hong Kong Government Takes Legal Action to Ban Protest Anthem 'Glory to Hong Kong'
Hong Kong Seeks to Ban 'Glory to HK' Protest Song
TOPSHOT - Protesters react as police fire tear gas while they attempt to march towards Hong Kong Polytechnic University in Hung Hom district of Hong Kong on November 18, 2019.
As per a report by Al Jazeera, the Hong Kong Department of Justice confirmed that it applied for a court order that bans the "Glory to HK" song. The bid to ban the unofficial protest anthem includes the internet, preventing online users from accessing the song online. The court order also includes a ban on performances, distribution, sale, and broadcast.
The Justice Department cites "national security" concerns since the song has been "repeatedly" mistaken as the national anthem of Hong Kong.
The lyrics of the "Glory to Hong Kong" protest song echo the plea of the demonstrators in the Chinese territory. In Cantonese, it says, "Break now the dawn, liberate our Hong Kong; in common breath, revolution of our times."
On top of that, the Hong Kong government also requests Google to remove the "Glory to Hong Kong'' from search results. However, the giant search engine refused to entertain such a request.
Last November, Al Jazeera notes that the protest song was played amid a rugby tournament in South Korea, wherein the Hong Kong team was playing.
The Amnesty International China Head says the "song is not a threat to national security," calling the bid to ban it "absurd."
Bloomberg notes that the High Court in Hong Kong will start to examine the request of the Justice Department to ban the protest song.
As per Financial Times, the recent move in Hong Kong gave more attention to the protest song. The unofficial anthem of demonstrators is now ranking highly in iTunes charts.
Related Article: China Accessed Hong Kong Activists' TikTok Data, Ex-ByteDance Exec Claims
