Hong Kong protest song Glory to Hong Kong has again been removed from streaming platforms, days after it was reuploaded under a US distributor despite a court injunction.
DGX music, the creator of the song that became popular during the 2019 protests and unrest, said on Thursday that US distributor DistroKid had taken down the song “inexplicably,” after the song was first removed by Scottish distributor EmuBands due to a Hong Kong court order.
The Court of Appeal last month banned unlawful acts linked to the broadcast, performance, or distribution of the song, ruling that Glory to Hong Kong had become a “weapon” that incited violence in 2019.
The court order prompted Google to restrict access in Hong Kong to 32 videos of the song on YouTube listed by the court as “problematic.” The song also disappeared from popular streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, and KKBOX after EmuBands, its first distributor, removed it.
The song was briefly reuploaded to streaming platforms under distributor DistroKid in late May. However, a check by HKFP on Friday showed that the song could no longer be found on Spotify, while an instrumental version of the song remained accessible on Apple Music and KKBOX.
“What is extremely concerning is that the injunction from the Hong Kong court does not have extraterritorial effect,” said DGX music in a statement posted on social media on Thursday.
HKFP has reached out to DistroKid for comment.
Two US politicians on Thursday urged Google to restore access to the protest song, saying the court order did not “impose a blanket ban on [Glory to Hong Kong].”
The court injunction prohibits the broadcasting or publishing of the song for acts including inciting secession, sedition, and misrepresenting it as the national anthem of Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong government said the court order had taken freedom of expression into account and would not affect the free flow of information.
“The [court order] also clearly states that lawful academic activity and news activity will not be prohibited on condition that such activities do not involve any of the four types of specified criminal acts,” a government spokesperson told HKFP.
Glory to Hong Kong was first released in August 2019, at the height of the citywide pro-democracy demonstrations and unrest. Its lyrics include the protest slogan “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times,” which the government has deemed “pro-independence” and capable of instigating secession.
The song has been mistaken for the national anthem of Hong Kong in international sporting events. Hong Kong’s national anthem is China’s March of the Volunteers.
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