HONG KONG (AP) — An appeals court Wednesday granted the Hong Kong government’s request to ban a popular protest song, overturning an earlier ruling and deepening concerns over the erosion of freedoms in the once-freewheeling global financial hub. “Glory to Hong Kong” was often sung by demonstrators during the huge anti-government protests in 2019. The song was later mistakenly played as the city’s anthem at international sporting events, instead of China’s “March of the Volunteers,” in mix-ups that upset city officials. Critics have said prohibiting broadcast or distribution of the song further reduces freedom of expression since Beijing launched a crackdown in Hong Kong following the 2019 protests. They have also warned the ban might disrupt the operation of tech giants and hurt the city’s appeal as a business center. Judge Jeremy Poon wrote that the composer intended for the song to be a “weapon” and so it had become, pointing to its power in arousing emotions among some residents of the city. |
In pics: 2023 China New Media Conference in ChangshaCutter Gauthier, the NCAA's leading scorer, signs 3Farmers harness science, technology to improve harvestDetectives solve 1968 killing of World War II veteran who became milkman, Florida sheriff saysChinese institutes publish complete Nipponbare rice reference genomeChina announces goodwill delegation to the DPRKRussia claims links of Crocus attackers with UkraineLok Sabha election 2024: Why do India's elections take so long?Detectives solve 1968 killing of World War II veteran who became milkman, Florida sheriff saysWhat key recent events led to Iran's assault on Israel?