YouTube Blocks Access to Banned Protest Anthem in Hong Kong
The Facts
YouTube has geoblocked access to 32 videos that include the popular protest anthem "Glory to Hong Kong" in the semi-autonomous Chinese city, including instrumental and sign language versions.
On Wednesday, however, the South China Morning Post found that the song was still available on YouTube after new "backup" versions were uploaded, as well as on other social media and music streaming platforms.
The Spin
Anti-China narrative
Affecting even people whistling on the streets, the ridiculous ban on the "Glory to Hong Kong" protest anthem due to alleged national security concerns was designed to force censorship on tech giants' platforms such as YouTube. China's "one country, two systems" policy is effectively over.
Pro-China narrative
YouTube has been legally forced to remove controversial content around the world, including in the EU and US, so it's hard to understand how the court-ordered removal of a notorious seditious song would affect Hong Kong's reputation. In fact, given that "Glory to Hong Kong" does pose a threat to broader stability, YouTube should ban it globally.