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A Hong Kong protest song has been pulled from Apple Music and Spotify ahead of a fresh crackdown by Beijing on pro-democracy demonstrations.
Versions of the anthem Glory To Hong Kong have become inaccessible on online streaming platforms accessed from within the territory, according to local reports, a week after the Hong Kong government sought an injunction to ban the song.
Social media and streaming sites including Spotify, Apple’s iTunes, Instagram and Facebook have all had versions of the pro-democracy song removed, the Hong Kong Free Press reported.
The song’s disappearance comes ahead of a wider crackdown by Beijing. John Lee, Hong Kong’s China-backed leader, said this week that Glory To Hong Kong was “not compatible with the national interest”.
Officials have claimed that the song encourages secession from China and have called it an “insult to the national anthem.”
A government spokesman said “freedom of speech is not absolute”, adding that Hong Kongers “should not take their chances and attempt to break the law”.
Mr Lee said: “Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has a duty and obligation to safeguard national security, and we should do it proactively and also preventively.”
Chinese officials are currently securing a legal injunction to criminalise the song, including reproducing it online or “broadcasting, performing, printing, publishing or selling” it. The ban is being pursued under the controversial National Security law imposed by Beijing in 2020.
Downloads of the song on Apple’s iTunes surged after the injunction was announced. Unlike streaming platforms, purchasing the song on iTunes allows people to retain a copy even if it is removed.
Spotify told the Hong Kong Free Press that the song’s distributor removed it from the streaming service’s catalogue.
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