YouTube, at the request of the Hong Kong Court of Appeal, has blocked a video of protesters singing the protest anthem "Glory to Hong Kong". This was reported by The Gurdian.
The blocking will only apply to the Hong Kong region. The court's request cites 32 videos that are considered to be prohibited content. The judges noted that dissidents seeking to incite secession could use the song as a weapon against the state.
A YouTube spokesperson said that the geo-blocking of the videos would be immediately implemented for viewers in Hong Kong.
Subsequently, these videos will disappear from Google search results in Hong Kong. When trying to watch the banned video on YouTube from Hong Kong, a message appeared: "This content is not available on this country's domain by court order."
A spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that stopping the song's distribution was necessary for Hong Kong to protect national security.
“We are disappointed by the Court’s decision but are complying with its removal order,” YouTube said in a statement. “We’ll continue to consider our options for an appeal, to promote access to information.“
Hong Kong does not have an official anthem. The song "Glory to Hong Kong" was written in 2019 during widespread pro-democracy protests, becoming an unofficial alternative anthem to China's "Volunteer March."
The former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997 with a guarantee that its freedoms would be preserved under the "one country, two systems" formula.