Hong Kong, Dec. 23 (BNA): Workers removed early Thursday a memorial at a Hong Kong university to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, over the objections of its builder from Denmark.
The 8 m (26 ft) Column of Shame, which depicts 50 torn and twisted bodies stacked on top of each other, was made by Danish sculptor Jens Galchiot to symbolize the lives lost during the bloody military crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989, According to the Associated Press.
Workers fortified the memorial at the University of Hong Kong late Wednesday night. The sound of digging and a loud herring was heard coming from the boarding site, which was guarded by the guards.
The statue’s dismantling came days after pro-Beijing candidates won a landslide victory in Hong Kong’s legislative elections, after amendments to election laws allowed all candidates to be screened to ensure they were “patriots” loyal to Beijing.
It was also removed the same week that Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam traveled to Beijing to report on developments in the semi-autonomous Chinese city, where authorities have silenced dissent after implementing a sweeping national security law that appeared to target many areas. The pro-democracy movement in the aftermath of mass protests in 2019.
The pillar of shame became an issue in October, with the university calling for it to be removed, even as activists and rights groups protested. Galschiøt offered to take him back to Denmark on the condition that he be given legal immunity that he would not be persecuted under Hong Kong’s National Security Act, but has so far been unsuccessful.
“No party has obtained any approval from the university to display the statue on the campus, and the university has the right to take appropriate measures to deal with it at any time,” the university said in a statement on Thursday.
“The latest legal advice given to the university warned that the continued display of the statue would pose legal risks to the university based on the Crimes Act promulgated under the colonial government of Hong Kong.”
The university said it had requested that the statue be stored and would continue to seek legal advice on follow-up actions.
In October, the university told the candlelight vigil organizer, the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of National Democratic Movements in China, that it had to remove the statue following its “latest risk assessment and legal advice”.
The organization said she was decomposing, citing a climate of oppression, and that she did not own the statue. The university was asked to speak to its creator instead.
When the Associated Press arrived, sculptor Galcchio said he only knew what was happening to the sculpture Wednesday from social media and other reports.
“We don’t know exactly what happened,” he said, “but I’m afraid they’ll destroy it.” “This is my statue, and it is mine.”
Galchiot said he would sue the university if necessary to protect the statue.
He had previously written to the university to confirm ownership of the memorial, although his requests were largely ignored.
More than 100 pro-democracy activists have been arrested since Beijing implemented Hong Kong’s national security law. Secession, vandalism, terrorism and foreign complicity in interfering in the city’s affairs are prohibited. Critics say it has reneged on freedoms promised to Hong Kong when Britain handed it over to China in 1997.
Constructed for over two decades, the Pillar of Shame monument initially stood in Victoria Park in Hong Kong before eventually being transferred to the University of Hong Kong on a long-term basis.
On June 4 every year, members of the now-dissolved Student Union wash the statue to commemorate the Tiananmen massacre. The city, along with Macau, was once the only places on Chinese soil where commemorations of the Tiananmen Campaign were allowed.
For the past two years, authorities have banned the annual candlelight vigil in Hong Kong, citing public risks from the coronavirus pandemic.
About two dozen activists have been charged for their roles in the Tiananmen vigil last year, during which activists attended and followed by thousands, breaking barriers in the park to sing songs and light candles despite a police ban on the event.
FKN