Organizers of a rugby tournament in South Korea inadvertently flared an international incident on Sunday by playing a melody that was a famous symbol of the 2019 pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.
China’s anthem, “March of the Volunteers,” was supposed to play before Hong Kong took on South Korea in the final of the Asia Rugby Sevens Series in Incheon.
Instead, the song “Glory to Hong Kong” was played. The song’s lyrics referenced the struggle to bring democracy to Hong Kong and free it from Beijing’s rule.
The organizers apologized for the “human error” after Hong Kong officials reacted strongly to the incident.
The tournament organizers played the Chinese national anthem after the game.
Despite acknowledging that it was a human error, the Hong Kong Rugby Union insisted that the mistake was still unacceptable.
Hong Kong makers react
The Hong Kong government “strongly deplores and opposes the playing of a song closely associated with violent protests and the ‘independence’ movement’ in place of China’s national anthem,” it said.
Pro-Beijing legislators sought an inquiry to determine whether the act was intentional.
The players could be seen remaining calm and not reacting to the wrong song in a video of the incident.
Politicians pounced on this display and attacked the players.
“They just let the country be humiliated,” Junius Ho, a pro-Beijing Hong Kong politician, wrote on Facebook. “They have completely failed and lost our trust. Now the only solution is to dissolve the Hong Kong rugby team.”
What is the ‘Glory to Hong Kong’ song?
An unidentified orchestra secretly recorded “Glory to Hong Kong” during the pro-democracy demonstrations in Hong Kong.
The touching song has a melody reminiscent of China’s national anthem, but the lyrics are about the struggle to free Hong Kong from Chinese control.
Under Hong Kong’s national security law, playing the song is now illegal.
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