Orchestra Version of ‘Glory to Hong Kong’ Creator’s YouTube Content Removed

Orchestra Version of ‘Glory to Hong Kong’ Creator’s YouTube Content Removed
At the same time during the process of an application for an injunction by the HK Government to ban the dissemination of the anti-extradition song “Glory to Hong Kong,” BlackBlog, the creative team of its orchestra and choir version, found the contents of its YouTube channel to have all been deleted. (BlackBlog YouTube screenshot)
6/19/2023
Updated:
6/19/2023
0:00
At the time when the Hong Kong Department of Justice (DOJ) applied to the court for an injunction to prohibit the dissemination of the anti-extradition protest song “Glory to Hong Kong,” and the court has yet to make a ruling, several different versions, as well as the audio/video clips of “Glory to Hong Kong” seem to have been removed from the shelves. “BlackBlog,” the creator of its orchestra and choir version, just found its relevant content recently deleted from its YouTube channel. Its Facebook and Instagram pages have also been made unavailable.

The music video (MV) from the orchestra and choir version of “Glory to Hong Kong” was released in 2019. During the chorus singing session, the performers wore black clothes, helmets, gas masks, and the like. The introduction of the video starts with, “We are a group of cultural arts practitioners in Hong Kong. By combining various musical notes, we can compose the music movements. By distributing these music movements, we can unite people.” The orchestra and choir showed as “a group of Hong Kong music practitioners,” and the filming crew is “a group of Hong Kong film workers.” According to some reports, the video clip has recently drawn nearly eight million views.

The Epoch Times tried to search the YouTube channel of “BlackBlog” and found that all the contents had been removed. People can only download the “Glory to Hong Kong” Orchestra, Choir Version MV, and relevant videos from other channels. The Facebook and Instagram pages of ”BlackBlog“ are also suspected to have been deleted. The former shows, ”This content is not available at this time,“ and the latter shows, ”Sorry, this page is unavailable. The link you clicked may not work, or the page has been removed.”

Some netizens commented, “The song is remembered by everyone. Everyone in Hong Kong knows how to sing it. It can’t be deleted. There is always something that does not need to really be brought out; somebody, somewhere, something that had happened all lie within the hearts. All in our hearts.”

Moreover, multiple versions of the music of “Glory to Hong Kong” were earlier found to be removed from various music platforms. That once triggered doubts about the self-censorship of the music platforms themselves. The original song creator DGX Music explained, “We are currently processing some technical issues unrelated to the streaming platforms. We apologize for all temporary disturbances caused.”

The High Court held a “direction hearing” on the injunction application by the DOJ on June 12, and the case was adjourned until July 21.

“Glory to Hong Kong”—a widely spreading song from the 2019 anti-extradition bill movement in Hong Kong. The song appears as the top response to Google searches for Hong Kong’s national anthem, on top of China’s national anthem. It has been mistakenly played as such in many international competitions.