Young participants throw emotions into first student-led version of protest anthem ‘Glory to Hong Kong’

• Project was put together in a week by a group of about 20 from St Paul’s College in Mid-Levels, with the help of alumni
• Challenges in production included losing half their choir after parents intervened

When Peter (not his real name) saw news reports of a young protester seriously injured in her right eye amid clashes between anti-government demonstrators and police on August 11, his heart sank.

"I was at the protest that day as a paramedic, and saw her earlier giving first aid to injured protesters. It could well have happened to me," the 15-year-old said.

Police have been accused of firing a beanbag round at the woman, but the force has rebutted this, with both sides locked in a legal battle for access to her hospital records.

Peter, who does not want to be identified, also recalled once treating a journalist who was wearing a press vest and covered in pepper spray. "I'm worried about being in police's line of fire despite my attire identifying me as first aid personnel in the field," he said.

The intense emotions in Peter, who started out as a protester, led him to find his voice as part of the first student-led production of Glory to Hong Kong, a song composed by an internet user in August that has since become the anthem for the movement.

In the music video " to be released on Tuesday " that was sung, directed and edited by about 20 masked students from St Paul's College in Mid-Levels, Peter stars as a first-aider at major protest sites, while two other students, John and Joseph (not their real names), play a "radical" and "peaceful" protester respectively.

In just one week and with the help of some alumni, the student musicians recorded the song " adapted for a three-part boys' choir with tenor, baritone and bass " at a studio in San Po Kong.

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The team hopes their production can go viral, much like a professional music video done by 150 masked musicians and released on YouTube two weeks ago.

Video director and Form Six student Desmond Lau Kin-hei said he cast the students in their real-life roles in the protest so they could tell their personal stories to Hongkongers.

"We want to lead by example and hit back at derogatory labels like 'rubbish youth' that were thrown at young protesters on the streets. The best way to do that is to show what a bunch of students can achieve by putting this production together in just a week," Lau said, referring to statements by top officials including Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor that described protesters as having "no stake" in society.

With the city just coming off its 16th straight weekend of protests, Lau said he also believed the power of music could sustain the movement and break the deadlock.

"The sight of a group of young students singing the anthem, we hope, can win hearts and minds for our cause, or at the least, lift spirits and unite Hongkongers," he said.

The student production was not easy, as they lost half their choir members after parents intervened.

Form Six student Joseph joined the project and took up the role as a peaceful protester in the video because he believed in the importance of getting his message out. He only attended the lawful marches in June and July, and spent his summer holiday mostly writing long articles and promotional materials online.

Why are the young people of Hong Kong angry and deeply unhappy?

"I was deeply moved when a classmate told me how he read one of my articles on the justified use of an appropriate degree of violence by radical protesters," Joseph said.

Form Five student John, who played the part of a radical protester, said the most extreme thing he did on the ground was to build barricades and roadblocks by removing roadside metal railings with a screwdriver.

"I know I won't stand on the front line because of the danger of being arrested, but I can still help where I can, including with this music production, which is a form of closure for me."

Lau, the director, said he hoped the video would give Hongkongers a boost in turbulent times.

"We want to let Hongkongers know the city's students are still in this together. We have not forgotten about the fight after school began, and we will stand together all the way till the end."

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