Hong Kong: Monument commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre removed
Dec 23, 2021: Hong Kong university has removed a statue commemorating the lives lost in the Tiananmen massacre of 1989.
A Hong Kong University memorial commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre was removed by workers early on Thursday, despite objections from its Danish creator. The 8-meter tall structure, the pillar of shame, with 50 torn and mutilated bodies piled on top of each other, was sculpted by Danish sculptor Jens Galschiot following a bloody military crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Beijing. The statue was made to symbolize the lives lost during Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989.
But the statue became a point of contention in October, with the university demanding its removal, a decision that provoked a backlash from activists and rights groups. Galschiot offered to take it back to Denmark, provided he was legally exempted from being harassed under Hong Kong’s national security law, but has so far failed. Workers at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) blocked the monument late Wednesday night. Drilling sounds and loud noises could be heard from the place where the guards were patrolling.
Creator and sculptor Galschiot told AFP that he was only aware of what was happening to the sculpture on Wednesday from social media and other reports.
He first wrote to the university to claim ownership of the monument, although his requests were ignored. He also warned the university that he could seek damages if the statue was damaged during removal. Hong Kong authorities have cracked down on political dissent following the implementation of the National Security Act, targeting mostly pro-democracy movements. The law, which outlaws separatism, subversion, terrorism and foreign collusion to interfere in the city’s affairs, was enacted by Beijing in 2019 after months of anti-government protests.
More than 100 pro-democracy activists have been arrested under the National Security Act, which has been criticized for revoking Hong Kong’s promised freedoms in 1997 when Britain handed it over to China. The monument has been standing for more than two decades, and initially stood in Victoria Park, Hong Kong, and eventually moved to the University of Hong Kong on a long-term basis.
Every year on June 4, members of the now-defunct Students’ Union wash the statue to commemorate the Tiananmen massacre. The city, along with Macau, was previously the only place on Chinese soil where the Tiananmen Crackdown was commemorated.
Over the past two years, Hong Kong authorities have banned annual candlelight vigils, citing public risks from the corona virus pandemic. About 24 workers were charged last year for their role in the Tiananmen vigil, during which workers arrived and thousands of people broke through barriers in the park to sing and light candles despite the ban.
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