page_title: Art of the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests
section_title: Songs and anthems
hierarchical_section_title: Art of the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests / Art / Songs and anthems
caption_attribution_description: 中文（繁體）‎: 2019年6月14日，香港宗教團體人士面對警察唱聖歌。（美國之音記者申華拍攝）
context_page_description: Activists and artists taking part in the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests use artwork, painting, music, and other forms of artistic expression as a tactic to help spread awareness about the events that have happened in the city. Individuals who create protest art are commonly referred to as the "publicity group". Creating protest art is seen as a peaceful, alternative way for citizens to express their views without participating in protests. Most members work under pseudonyms in order to protect their identity and stay in line with the movement's leaderless nature.
  During the protests, a large amount of original artwork inspired by pop culture and fine arts, as well as derivative works were created. They served as subversive criticisms of the police and the government, and offered comedic relief during tense times. Many of Hong Kong's protest artwork were inspired by Japanese anime and favoured dystopic and anti-authoritarian themes. Several notable protesters, Pepe the Frog, and Lady Liberty Hong Kong became icons of the protests. In addition, the protests have inspired the creation of "Glory to Hong Kong", which was then adopted as the movement's unofficial anthem.
context_section_description: A 1974 Christian hymn called "Sing Hallelujah to the Lord" became the "unofficial anthem" of the anti-extradition protests and was heard at the many protest sites. On 11 June 2019, a group of Christians began to sing the four-line-verse and simple melody at the Central Government Complex as they held a public prayer meeting the night before the Legislative Council was scheduled to begin the second reading of the extradition bill. On the morning of 12 June, led by pastors, they stood between the crowd and police to help prevent violence and pray for the city with the hymn. Under Hong Kong's Public Order Ordinance, religious gatherings are exempt from the definition of a "gathering" or "assembly" and therefore more difficult to police. The song was sung repeatedly over the course of 10 hours and a video of the event quickly became popular online. Hong Kong's local ministries, many of whom support underground churches in China, supported the protests. Most city churches tend to avoid political involvement but many were worried about the effects of the extradition bill on Christians because mainland China does not have religious freedom laws.
  "Do You Hear the People Sing", the unofficial anthem of the Umbrella Movement in 2014, was commonly sung during the protest. It was also sung by protesters during a friendly football game between Manchester City and Kitchee on 24 July at Hong Kong Stadium to obscure the playing of the Chinese national anthem and to raise foreign awareness of the situation in the city.
  A group of anonymous composers wrote the song "Glory to Hong Kong" (Chinese: 願榮光歸香港), which became a theme of the protest and was regarded as the city's unofficial national anthem by protestors. On 10 September 2019, supporters sang the song at a football match for the first time during a FIFA World Cup qualification match against Iran. On the same night, the song was publicly sung at more than a dozen shopping malls across Hong Kong. Composed by Thomas dgx, the song has since been translated into several languages. Its lyrics, include the phrase "Liberate Hong Kong, the revolution of our time", were mainly written by users of LIHKG. The song's music video includes demonstration scenes and was uploaded to YouTube on 31 August 2019. Several covers, including a Cantonese opera rendition, were released. A version featuring a 150-person orchestra became YouTube's most viewed music video in 2019 in Hong Kong.
  Protesters have also sung the British national anthem "God Save the Queen" and the American national anthem "The Star-Spangled Banner," while demonstrating outside those countries' consulates-general to appeal to their governments for help.
  Hong Kongers have also composed several pieces of original music. Local rappers and bands have released songs that criticise the government and the police. The ninth-most-popular music video on YouTube in the city was a protest theme named "Nei Fei Wo" (Chinese: 和你飛), which has an introspective tone and focuses on the depression and exhaustion protesters have faced during the protests. The lyrics urge protesters to stay united in a time of difficulty. The song's name alludes to the July 2019 sit-in at Hong Kong International Airport that was named "Fly with you", itself a wordplay of "peaceful, rational and non-violent protesters". A remix of Sia's song "Chandelier" titled "Fat Mama Has Something To Say" (Chinese: 肥媽有話兒) quickly gained local attention. It was remixed using a speech given by Maria Cordero at a pro-police rally, edited, rearranged and auto-tuned to bend her pitch to the song, with the lyrics replaced with anti-police rhetoric.
  Singer-songwriter Charmaine Fong released her own composition, "Explicit Comment (Chinese: 人話)" in late 2019. Its lyrics expressed her stance toward the anti-government protests explicitly. Although the music video stirred controversy with its extensive use of protest footage featuring scenes of police brutality, it was highly popular upon release, attracting more than 400 thousand views by the second day of release. It was viewed a million times af
caption: A group of Christians singing "Sing Hallelujah to the Lord" near the Central Government Complex, June 2019
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