A government webpage about the Chinese national anthem has replaced a Hong Kong pro-democracy song at the top of Google’s search rankings. The change came after multiple mix-ups that saw the protest tune played in place of the city’s official anthem at international sporting events.
A Google search for “Hong Kong national anthem” in both English and Chinese on Wednesday resulted in a recently updated Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau (CMAB) web page, from which March of the Volunteers can be downloaded, ranking first.
At least one anthem gaffe occurred after organisers of an international sporting event searched for the Hong Kong anthem online and downloaded the first result, which was often Glory to Hong Kong, a song written by protesters during the unrest in 2019.
Last December, leading Hong Kong officials – including Chief Executive John Lee and security chief Chris Tang – called Google out after the tech giant failed to comply with a government request to change search results for “Hong Kong national anthem.”
Before the CMAB web page was updated, those looking for an “official recording” of the Hong Kong and China anthem on the CMAB website would be taken to a Chinese government page – only available in simplified Chinese – with download links to the anthem, an instrumental version and the music scores.
When HKFP used an incognito window on Wednesday, however, Glory to Hong Kong was still the first result in the Google search.
CMAB said the government said it had “all along been providing different versions… for download, as well as the anthem lyrics, music score and other information.”
“The government will continue to update and enhance the website’s contents to improve service, bring convenience to citizens and users, and also continue to follow up on the relevant work,” the CMAB wrote.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, lawmaker Michael Tien questioned whether the update amounted to an admission of fault by the CMAB after sporting bodies complained only Chinese versions were available online.
The CMAB did not respond when HKFP asked for comment on Tien’s query.
Anthem mix-ups
The website update and change in Google search rankings comes more than five months after the first known incident of Glory to Hong Kong being played at a sporting final.
In November, the protest song was heard at a Rugby Sevens game in South Korea after an intern reportedly downloaded it off the internet.
Similar mix-ups occurred at international sporting finals, including at a prizegiving ceremony of a weightlifting championship in Dubai and most recently at a February ice hockey game in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Earlier this month, the top sports federation representing Hong Kong at the Olympics warned it could suspend the Hong Kong Ice Hockey Association, citing the group’s “non-compliance… to handle the national anthem in a dignified manner.” The association, it added, had failed to act with “appropriate due diligence” and was “uncommunicative.”
The government has said Glory to Hong Kong is “closely associated with violent protests and the ‘independence’ movement in 2019.” Though the protests attracted a handful of pro-independence activists, it was not one of the movement’s demands.
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