HONG KONG – A Hong Kong court convicted a man for using a 2019 anti-government protest song in an edited video featuring an Olympian from the city, amid efforts by the local authorities to bar the song from distribution.

Hong Kong’s Eastern Court ruled the man’s use of the song Glory to Hong Kong was an insult to the Chinese national anthem March of the Volunteers, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on Wednesday. The court said that amounted to a violation of the city’s 2020 law banning residents from disrespecting the Chinese national anthem.

The court’s ruling marked the first legal decision against the use of the song, according to the newspaper. The government has also been seeking to ban distribution and dissemination of Glory to Hong Kong, which was widely sung during protests in the city four years ago.

Cheng Wing-chun – who pleaded not guilty in the case – was accused of substituting March of the Volunteers with Glory to Hong Kong in a 94-second video depicting the 2020 Tokyo Olympic gold medal ceremony for Hong Kong fencer Edgar Cheung, according to the SCMP. The Olympic Games play the national anthem associated with the winner for each event.

The Hong Kong justice department in June applied for a court injunction to crack down on the playing of Glory to Hong Kong, saying it was seeking to ban the distribution and dissemination of the lyrics and melody in any way that could be construed to have seditious intent.

The government is also seeking a ban on playing, singing or disseminating the song – including on “any Internet-based platform or medium” – if it is likely to insult or be mistaken for China’s national anthem.

The city’s High Court will hear that injunction on July 21.

Tension over the controversial song has been building after it was played at sporting events, including during a rugby tournament in South Korea in 2022, in place of March of the Volunteers.

Hong Kong also criticised Alphabet’s Google in late 2022 for failing to ensure the correct national anthem featured prominently on its search page. In June, the protest song topped Apple’s music charts as the government pursued its crackdown.

Separately, the Hong Kong national security police arrested four men accused of foreign collusion on Wednesday, local media outlets, including Sing Tao, reported.

The city has been furthering efforts to clamp down on dissent against Beijing. Earlier this week, chief executive John Lee vowed to pursue eight overseas democracy activists. BLOOMBERG