Advertisement
The way protest anthem Glory to Hong Kong, No. 1 city music video of 2019 on YouTube, was created mirrors the protest movement’s leaderless culture
- Glory to Hong Kong, uploaded on September 11, was the most viewed local YouTube music video in Hong Kong this year
- Its composer posted a first draft online in a protest forum, where others suggested changes; the song became so popular multiple versions were recorded
Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Songs with a protest-related theme were among the most viewed local YouTube music videos in Hong Kong this year, with the orchestral rendition of protest anthem Glory to Hong Kong topping the video-sharing site’s chart.
Advertisement
The rousing performance features black-clad musicians, wearing gas-masks and helmets, performing and singing as smoke billows. Dramatic images of the pitched battles between protesters and police are spliced in. The video has had 3.6 million views since its upload on September 11.
The song – which speaks of struggle, solidarity and freedom – quickly became one of the unofficial anthems of the city’s protest movement, which began against a now-withdrawn extradition bill that would have allowed criminal suspects to be deported to mainland China, among other regions that Hong Kong does not have such an agreement with.
The video’s producers remain anonymous, fearing reprisals from the government and police.
Advertisement
“The fear of white terror [acts made to create a climate of fear] is to an extent that, even if I go by a fake surname, I worry about causing trouble for others who actually have that surname,” one of the video directors told the Post earlier.
Advertisement