Hong Kong court gives go-ahead for government’s appeal bid against rejected ban on protest song often mistaken for national anthem

Government lawyers earlier applied for review, citing perceived failure to give ‘greatest weight and deference’ to city leader’s decision to label song a national security risk

Proposed injunction centres on 2019 protest tune ‘Glory to Hong Kong’, often mistaken for the national anthem at overseas sports events

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The appeal bid had the backing of three pro-Beijing political parties, who urged the government to suppress the circulation of the song as soon as possible. Photo: Felix Wong

Published: 3:14pm, 23 Aug 2023Updated: 6:00pm, 23 Aug 2023

A Hong Kong court has given the go-ahead for the government to appeal against a rejected ban on a 2019 protest song often mistaken overseas for the national anthem.

Mr Justice Anthony Chan Kin-keung on Wednesday said the latest government bid was an attempt to again put forward most of the contentions he had previously rejected, but he agreed that some of the arguments deserved further scrutiny before the Court of Appeal.

“Due to the importance of national security, the law on which is of course a new frontier, I am inclined to grant leave where it can be said that the points are matters of law,” the judge said in his written decision.

The move by the Court of First Instance allows the Department of Justice to renew its request for the injunction on protest song “Glory to Hong Kong”.

Government lawyers earlier this month applied to review the ruling by the lower court, citing what they saw as a failure to afford “the greatest weight and deference” to Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, who deemed the unofficial anthem of the 2019 anti-government protests a national security risk.