Thu 23 December 2021:
The eight-meter-tall Pillar of Shame monument, which was erected in memory of victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre in Hong Kong, was demolished by local authorities during a nighttime operation.
Since 1997, a statue depicting the faces of victims, created by Danish sculptor Jens Galschiot, has stood inside the University of Hong Kong (HKU).
The decision to remove the structure from campus was made on Wednesday, according to a statement released by HKU Council on Thursday.
Around 11 p.m. (1500 GMT) on Wednesday, authorities began preparing to remove the statue, and a large crane finally removed the structure around 4 a.m. on Thursday (2000GMT Wednesday).
To prevent any photos or videos of the statue’s displacement, barriers were erected around the statue’s location, and all views were barred.
The HKU Council claimed that no one had “ever obtained any approval from the university to display the statue on campus, and the university has the right to take appropriate actions to handle it at any time.”
The 1989 student-led protests started on April 15 and were forcibly suppressed on June 4 when the Chinese government sent the military to seize control of Tiananmen Square. Nearly 300 people were killed and 7,000 injured, including soldiers.
“The university is also very concerned about the potential safety issues resulting from the fragile statue. The latest legal advice given to the university cautioned that the continued display of the statue would pose legal risks to the university based on the Crimes Ordinance enacted under the Hong Kong colonial government,” the statement said.
The stature would be stored, besides the university “should continue to seek legal advice on any appropriate follow-up action,” the council added.
The Danish sculptor Galschiot has claimed ownership of the statue.
He said the statue “simply been on loan” all these years to the now-defunct Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China.
The alliance was disbanded recently.
In a statement to Hong Kong’s official RTHK News, he alleged that the HKU “repeatedly ignored his attempts to contact them to try to work out how to move the sculpture elsewhere.”
“It is my private property and the sculpture belongs to me personally… so I have to demand that Hong Kong one take care of the sculpture. And I will claim compensation for any damage to the sculpture,” he said.
Beijing imposed a controversial national security law in Hong Kong last year after mass anti-government agitation in 2019 resulted in mass violence.
Furthermore, it prohibited Hong Kong residents from commemorating the 1989 events for the second year in a row.
Thousands defied the order in 2020 and gathered in Victoria Park, prompting authorities to increase security this year.
It also closed the June 4th Museum, which was built in memory of the Tiananmen Square victims, this year.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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