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Hong Kong courts
Hong KongPolitics

Explainer | Protest song ‘Glory to Hong Kong’ ban: what are the legal red lines? Experts weigh in on busking, ringtones, personal use

  • Controversial song widely considered unofficial anthem of anti-government protests in 2019
  • Post looks into whether song can still be played and under what circumstances

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Protesters gather to sing “Glory to Hong Kong” at a shopping mall during the 2019 anti-government demonstrations. Photo: AFP
Elizabeth CheungandLilian Cheng

A court ban on the distribution of the controversial protest song “Glory to Hong Kong” has raised questions over the use of the tune, which can easily be accessed on the internet.

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Wednesday’s interim injunction bans “broadcasting, performing, printing, publishing, selling, offering for sale, distributing, disseminating, displaying or reproducing in any way” the tune with the intention to incite others to separate Hong Kong from the rest of the country, commit a seditious act or insult the national anthem, “March of the Volunteers”.

It also prohibits anyone from playing the song in a manner that could lead to it being “mistaken as the national anthem insofar as the [Hong Kong Special Administrative Region] is concerned” or suggest the city “is an independent state and has a national anthem of her own”.

The song is widely considered the unofficial anthem of anti-government protests in 2019.

The Post looks into whether it can still be played and under what circumstances.

1. Can you listen to the song privately?

Senior Counsel Ronny Tong Ka-wah, a member of Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s advisory Executive Council, said listening to the song for personal use was allowed.

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