Hong Kong's appeal court has approved the formal banning of a protest song that was previously used as a rallying call by pro-democracy protesters.
The lower court had last year rejected the government's request for Glory to Hong Kong to be banned.
A judge had then said a ban would have "chilling effects" on freedom of speech.
But on Wednesday, the court overturned the earlier ruling in favour of the government, in a move that is likely to deepen concerns about freedoms being further eroded in the city.
The Court of Appeal found that "broadcasting, performing, printing, publishing, selling, offering for sale, distributing, disseminating, displaying or reproducing” the song would pose a national security risk.
Its judgement also read that there was "an immediate need to stop the criminal acts" although it did not specify which criminal acts it was referring to.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman on Wednesday said banning the song was a "necessary measure by (Hong Kong) to fulfil its responsibility of safeguarding national security".
In 2023, a Hong Kong court had struck down the government's request for the song to be banned from the internet, with Judge Anthony Chan then saying: "I believe that the intrusion to freedom of expression here, especially to innocent third parties, is what is referred to in public law as chilling effects".
Written in Cantonese during pro-democracy protests in 2019 and adopted by protesters, the lyrics of the song include the lines: "Revolution of our times. May people reign, proud and free, now and evermore. Glory be to thee Hong Kong".
Many Hong Kongers played it to show support for their territory's identity as being separate from China.
While the new ban will specifically codify punishments for using the song, people in Hong Kong had already been punished under national security laws for playing it.
In 2022, a harmonica player was arrested for playing the song outside the British consulate in Hong Kong to mourn the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
The song has been banned in schools since 2020.
Officials had also petitioned internet giants like Google to remove the protest song from their search results and video platforms - something the sites refused to do.
The song has also at times been mistakenly played as the city's anthem at official events like international sporting matches, something that has angered authorities.
Rights groups had criticised the government's attempts to block the song as a further erosion of Hong Kongers' civil and political rights. These have vastly dwindled since Beijing passed a controversial national security law in 2019 in response to pro-democracy protests.
