HONG KONG: A defiant protest anthem penned by an anonymous composer has become the unofficial new soundtrack to Hong Kong's protests, belted out by crowds at flashmobs in malls, on the streets and in the football stands.
"Glory to Hong Kong" first appeared on YouTube on Aug 31 and has quickly won a huge following among those pushing for greater democratic freedoms in the semi-autonomous Chinese city.
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In less than a fortnight the original version has racked up more than 1.3 million views while multiple copycats videos have been made – including one featuring an entire orchestra decked out in the helmets, goggles and gas masks worn by those on the barricades.
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Each night this week protesters have gathered at different malls across the city for impromptu flashmob concerts.
At a mall in the town of Sha Tin on Wednesday night hundreds of activists gathered to sing, many of them reading from scraps of paper with the lyrics on them.
"For all our tears on our land/Do you feel the rage in our cries," the latest song begins. "Rise up and speak up, our voice echoes/Freedom shall shine upon us".
Protesters have gathered at Hong Kong malls to sing a new anthem penned by an anonymous composer AFP/NICOLAS ASFOURI
Alongside the Christian hymn "Sing Hallelujah to the Lord", "Glory to Hong Kong" is a riposte to the city's unelected leaders and Beijing after more than three months of huge and sometimes violent protests.
Little is known about the composer, who gave himself the online pseudonym "Thomas dgx yhl".
But the song's lyrics and melody have quickly spread within the movement.
During a football match on Tuesday night between Hong Kong and Iran, crowds of local fans booed the Chinese national anthem, and then sung the new protest song as the match began.
Insulting China's flag and anthem is banned on the mainland and Hong Kong's local government are currently trying to pass a similar law.
Critics say that move is another blow to the free speech guarantees Hong Kong is supposed to maintain under the handover deal China agreed with Britain.
"AN ANTHEM THAT BELONGS"
Christopher Chung, 22, said he planned to sing the new protest song over China's communist anthem "March of the Volunteers".
"I think the respect people pay when singing a national anthem should come out from one's heart, instead of using law and rules to force people to respect it," he told AFP.
"We really dislike the Chinese national anthem," added Billy, 16, who declined to give his surname. "That's why we want to sing an anthem that belongs to Hong Kong."
Little is known about the composer, who gave himself the online pseudonym "Thomas dgx yhl", but the song's lyrics and melody have quickly spread within the movement. (Screengrab: Youtube/Black Blorchestra)
Hong Kong's summer of rage was sparked by a widely reviled plan to allow extraditions to the mainland.
But after local leaders and Beijing took a hardline it snowballed into a wider movement pushing for democracy and police accountability.
Huge crowds have marched repeatedly throughout the last 15 weeks of protests – and many confrontations with police have turned violent.
Music has long been central to Hong Kong's pro-democracy protest movement.
A new protest anthem, 'Glory to Hong Kong', was uploaded online late last month and has since gone viral AFP/Nicolas ASFOURI
A host of protest songs
