University of Hong Kong has unveiled a deadly statue of Tiananmen | Hong Kong Exhibition News

A monument at the University of Hong Kong commemorating the massacre in Tiananmen Square in 1989 was removed by workers earlier on Thursday in protest of a protest in Denmark.

The 8-foot (26 m) Shameless, depicting 50 torn and twisted bodies stacked on top of each other, was created by Danish sculptor Jens Galschiøt to depict the lives lost during the bloody war of anti-democratic forces. at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on June 4, 1989.

But the statue became controversial in October, when the university demanded its removal, though the decision brought controversy to civil rights activists and civil society organizations.

Galschiøt offered to return to Denmark only after he was granted legal protection from torture in Hong Kong, but to no avail.

Workers blocked the statue at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) on Wednesday night. The sound of piercings and loud noises was heard from a high point, guarded by guards.

HKU confirmed that the image had been removed and placed in the archives after the work was completed.

“The decision regarding the adult image was based on external legal expertise and risk assessment for the benefit of the University,” the university said.

He said no party had ever received permission to display the statue and also mentioned the Crimes Ordinance of the colonial era in approving its removal.

In October, the university told a candlelight maker, the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of the Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, that it should remove the image following “recent review and legal advice.”

The council had stated that it was ending, in the case of a repression, and was not the owner of the sculpture. The university was told to talk to its creator on its behalf.

Galschiøt affirms ownership

After being contacted by The Associated Press, sculptor Galschiøt said he only knew what was going on in the sculpture Wednesday from TV and other reports.

“We don’t know what happened, but I’m afraid they’ll ruin it,” he said. “This is my sculpture, and it is my treasure.”

He had previously applied to the university to confirm that the monument was his, even though his request had been denied. He also warned the university that it could seek destruction if the statue was damaged by removal.

Hong Kong officials have been battling political instability following the enactment of a national security law that appears to be closely linked to the pro-democracy movement.

The law, which prohibits isolation, lawlessness, terrorism and foreign alliances to interfere in the affairs of the city, was enacted by Beijing following months of anti-government protests in 2019.

They think they are missing, but they have given a new and greater meaning to it as an artist. https://t.co/DJygp082im

– Yuen Chan (@xinwenxiaojie) December 23, 2021

More than 100 pro-democracy activists have been detained under the country’s security law, which has been criticized for restoring Hong Kong’s promised independence when it was granted to China and Britain in 1997.

The Pillar of Shame Monument has been erected for more than two decades, and originally stood at Victoria Park in Hong Kong before being relocated to the University of Hong Kong for a long time.

Every year on June 4, members of the now graduated student body wash the statue to commemorate the assassination of Tiananmen. The city, along with Macao, was once the only place in China where commemoration of the Tiananmen massacre was permitted.

For the past two years, the annual supervision of candles in Hong Kong has been banned by government officials, who cited public dangers as a result of the coronavirus epidemic.

The 24 militants were charged with trespassing on Tiananmen last year, with freedom fighters in attendance and thousands following, breaking through barricades and lighting candles even though police banned the ceremony.