Hong Kong: Oldest of Hong Kong university An overnight campaign was launched on Thursday to destroy a statue in memory of those killed in Beijing tiananmen The latest blow to academic freedom squares off as cracks in China.
Eight meters (26 ft) high “Pillar of Shame” by Jenso galschiot has sat on University of Hong Kong‘s (our primary) premises from 1997, the year the former British colony was handed back to China.
The sculpture features 50 victim faces and tortured bodies stacked on each other and commemorates democracy protesters killed by Chinese soldiers around Tiananmen Square in 1989.
Its appearance was a vivid example of Hong Kong’s independence compared to the Chinese mainland where events in Tiananmen are heavily censored.
But Beijing is currently reshaping Hong Kong to its authoritarian image after protests against democracy two years ago made the recall of Tiananmen effectively illegal.
In October, HKU officials ordered the sculpture’s removal, citing new but unspecified legal risks.
He fulfilled that promise in the early hours of Thursday morning.
According to an AFP reporter, university staff used floor-to-ceiling sheets and plastic barriers to protect the statue from view, as drilling and metal clatter could be heard throughout the night.
Security guards prevented journalists from approaching and tried to block media outlets from filming.
Workers in hard hats could then be seen using a crane, wrapping a large part of the sculpture in plastic, to a nearby container.
HKU confirmed that the statue was removed and put into storage after the operation was completed.
“The decision on the old statue was based on external legal advice and a risk assessment in the best interest of the university,” the university said.
Its statement said that no party ever took permission to display the statue and also cited the colonial era. crime ordinance in justifying the removal.
That law covers the offense of sedition and has been increasingly deployed by the authorities – along with a new national security law imposed by Beijing – to criminalize dissent.
Galschiot told AFP it was “strange” and “shocking” for the university to step on the statue, which he said remains his personal property.
“It is a really expensive statue. So if they destroy it, of course we will sue them,” he said. “This is not correct.”
Galciot said he had offered to take the statue back and tried various methods to contact the university with the help of lawyers.
He said the HKU officials never contacted him nor informed him about the action that started late Wednesday night.
The artist sent an email to supporters, encouraging them to “document everything that happens to the sculpture”.
“We have made every effort to inform (HKU) that we intend to lift the statue and bring it to Denmark,” the statement said.
Hong Kong used to be a place in China where the mass commemoration of Tiananmen was still tolerated.
For three decades, the city’s annual 4th of June candle procession will attract thousands.
With its slogans of democracy and the end of one-party rule in China, it became a symbol of the political freedom enjoyed by Hong Kong.
But that era is now over.
Authorities have banned the last two Vigilances, citing both the coronavirus pandemic and security fears.
He has accused the leaders of vigilante organizers of sabotage – a national security crime – and the closure of a Tiananmen museum that the group ran.
Unlawful assembly indictments have been brought against dozens of activists who took part in both 2020 and 2021, which has led to the Tiananmen ban.
Scores of opposition figures have been imprisoned or fled abroad, and officials have embarked on a mission to rewrite history and make the city more “patriotic”.
Eight meters (26 ft) high “Pillar of Shame” by Jenso galschiot has sat on University of Hong Kong‘s (our primary) premises from 1997, the year the former British colony was handed back to China.
The sculpture features 50 victim faces and tortured bodies stacked on each other and commemorates democracy protesters killed by Chinese soldiers around Tiananmen Square in 1989.
Its appearance was a vivid example of Hong Kong’s independence compared to the Chinese mainland where events in Tiananmen are heavily censored.
But Beijing is currently reshaping Hong Kong to its authoritarian image after protests against democracy two years ago made the recall of Tiananmen effectively illegal.
In October, HKU officials ordered the sculpture’s removal, citing new but unspecified legal risks.
He fulfilled that promise in the early hours of Thursday morning.
According to an AFP reporter, university staff used floor-to-ceiling sheets and plastic barriers to protect the statue from view, as drilling and metal clatter could be heard throughout the night.
Security guards prevented journalists from approaching and tried to block media outlets from filming.
Workers in hard hats could then be seen using a crane, wrapping a large part of the sculpture in plastic, to a nearby container.
HKU confirmed that the statue was removed and put into storage after the operation was completed.
“The decision on the old statue was based on external legal advice and a risk assessment in the best interest of the university,” the university said.
Its statement said that no party ever took permission to display the statue and also cited the colonial era. crime ordinance in justifying the removal.
That law covers the offense of sedition and has been increasingly deployed by the authorities – along with a new national security law imposed by Beijing – to criminalize dissent.
Galschiot told AFP it was “strange” and “shocking” for the university to step on the statue, which he said remains his personal property.
“It is a really expensive statue. So if they destroy it, of course we will sue them,” he said. “This is not correct.”
Galciot said he had offered to take the statue back and tried various methods to contact the university with the help of lawyers.
He said the HKU officials never contacted him nor informed him about the action that started late Wednesday night.
The artist sent an email to supporters, encouraging them to “document everything that happens to the sculpture”.
“We have made every effort to inform (HKU) that we intend to lift the statue and bring it to Denmark,” the statement said.
Hong Kong used to be a place in China where the mass commemoration of Tiananmen was still tolerated.
For three decades, the city’s annual 4th of June candle procession will attract thousands.
With its slogans of democracy and the end of one-party rule in China, it became a symbol of the political freedom enjoyed by Hong Kong.
But that era is now over.
Authorities have banned the last two Vigilances, citing both the coronavirus pandemic and security fears.
He has accused the leaders of vigilante organizers of sabotage – a national security crime – and the closure of a Tiananmen museum that the group ran.
Unlawful assembly indictments have been brought against dozens of activists who took part in both 2020 and 2021, which has led to the Tiananmen ban.
Scores of opposition figures have been imprisoned or fled abroad, and officials have embarked on a mission to rewrite history and make the city more “patriotic”.
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