A statue commemorating the Tiananmen Square massacre has been removed from a Hong Kong university.
Over the concerns of its Danish creator, a monument commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square tragedy was removed by workmen early Thursday at a Hong Kong university.
Over the concerns of its Danish creator, a monument commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square tragedy was removed by workmen early Thursday at a Hong Kong university.
The 8-meter (26-foot) tall Pillar of Shame was created by Danish artist Jens Galschit to represent the lives lost during the deadly military crackdown on pro-democracy protestors in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989. It shows 50 broken and twisted bodies piled on top of each other.
Late Wednesday night, workers barricaded the monument at the University of Hong Kong. The boarded-up location, which was patrolled by guards, could be heard drilling and loud banging.
The sculpture was demolished just days after pro-Beijing politicians won a resounding victory in Hong Kong legislative elections, thanks to changes in election procedures that permitted all candidates to be vetted to ensure that they are “patriots” loyal to Beijing.
The removal occurred the same week that Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam traveled to Beijing to report on developments in the Chinese city’s semi-autonomous territory, where authorities have suppressed dissent following the implementation of a broad national security law that appeared to target much of the pro-democracy movement following mass protests in 2019.
In October, the university demanded that the Pillar of Shame monument be destroyed, despite protests from activists and civil rights organizations. Galschit offered to return it to Denmark if he was granted legal immunity from prosecution under Hong Kong’s national security statute, but he has so far been unsuccessful.
The university said in a statement Thursday that “no entity has ever gotten any consent from the university to display the monument on campus,” and that “the institution has the authority to take appropriate procedures to address it at any moment.”
“Recent legal advice offered to the university cautioned that continuing to display the monument may expose the university to legal dangers under the Hong Kong colonial government’s Crimes Ordinance.”
The university stated that it has requested that the statue be placed in storage and that it would seek legal guidance on any subsequent moves.
Following “the latest danger assessment and legal advice,” the university advised the now-defunct candlelight vigil organizer, the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, that the monument had to be removed.
The group had announced that it was disbanding, claiming an oppressive climate, and that it did not own the sculpture. Instead, the university was told to contact its inventor.
When contacted by The Associated Press, sculptor Galschit said he only learned about the sculpture’s fate on Wednesday through social media and other accounts.
“We don’t know what occurred,” he continued, “but I’m afraid they destroyed it.” “This is my sculpture, and it belongs to me.”
Galschit stated that if necessary, he would sue the institution to defend the sculpture.
He had written to the university before to assert his ownership of the monument, but his requests had mainly gone unanswered.
Since Beijing enforced the national security law in Hong Kong, over 100 pro-democracy activists have been arrested. It prohibits secession, subversion, terrorism, and foreign participation in the affairs of the city. Critics claim it curtailed the liberties given to Hong Kong when the British turned it over to China in 1997.
The Pillar of Shame monument has been in place for almost two decades, first in Hong Kong’s Victoria Park before being permanently relocated to the University of Hong Kong.
Members of the now-defunct student union would wash the monument every year on June 4 to commemorate the Tiananmen Square massacre. The city, along with Macao, were historically the only places on Chinese land where the Tiananmen Square crackdown could be commemorated.
Authorities in Hong Kong have prohibited the annual candlelight vigil for the past two years, citing public health threats from the coronavirus outbreak.
Activists were charged last year for their roles in the Tiananmen Square vigil, which saw thousands of people burst through barricades in the park to sing songs and light candles despite a police ban on the event.
