The anthem of the 2019 Hong Kong protests, “Glory to Hong Kong,” is reportedly being removed from Spotify and Apple Music worldwide.

“Distributors in the UK, United States and Canada are kneeling (to China),” DGX Music, the creative team behind “Glory to Hong Kong,” wrote on Instagram. “It has completely disappeared from all streaming platforms. We could not find the original version of ‘Glory to Hong Kong’ released by DGX Music on Apple Music or Spotify in Hong Kong, Taiwan, the UK or Canada,” the post continued.

The protest anthem sparked outrage after organizers mistakenly played the song at overseas sporting events instead of China’s March of the Volunteers. It was greeted and sung by unarmed protesters during mass demonstrations for full democracy in Hong Kong in 2019. In May 2024, a Hong Kong court granted the government’s request to ban the protest song – overturning an earlier ruling. It is also the first time a song has been banned in Hong Kong since Britain returned the territory to China in 1997.

The judge in the case said an injunction against the song was necessary to compel internet platform operators to remove “problematic videos related to the song” from their platforms. Failure to comply with the court order can be considered contempt of court and can result in a fine or jail sentence in Hong Kong.

Now a report from Radio Free Asia suggests that the anthem will be removed from Spotify and Apple Music in countries such as Taiwan, the UK and Canada.

Some remixes and cover versions of the song can still be found, but the original anthem has been removed. YouTube also blocked access to dozens of videos featuring the song in May, citing the court ruling. DGX Music also complained in June that an a cappella version of the song was removed by US distributor Distrokid, without responding to DGX Music’s questions about the removal. Scottish band Emubands clarified that it had removed the song from distribution precisely because of the Hong Kong court’s injunction.

Songwriters claim that the injunction only applies to Hong Kong and “Glory to Hong Kong” should not be removed from digital service providers (DSPs) such as Spotify and Apple Music in countries such as the United States. “Some Western media companies have unnecessarily complied with the Hong Kong government’s political injunction, resulting in a violation of basic human rights,” says DGX Music.