Last monument for Tiananmen massacre removed in Hong Kong

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HONG KONG – A monument astatine a Hong Kong assemblage that was the best-known nationalist remembrance of the Tiananmen Square massacre connected Chinese ungraded was removed aboriginal Thursday, wiping retired the city's past spot of nationalist commemoration of the bloody 1989 crackdown.

For immoderate astatine the University of Hong Kong, the determination reflected the erosion of the comparative freedoms they person enjoyed compared to mainland China.

The 8-meter (26-foot) -tall Pillar of Shame, which depicts 50 torn and twisted bodies piled connected apical of each other, was made by Danish sculptor Jens Galschioet to symbolize the lives mislaid during the subject crackdown connected pro-democracy protesters successful Beijing’s Tiananmen Square connected June 4, 1989.

Billy Kwok, a University of Hong Kong student, said the Pillar of Shame has been treated arsenic portion of the assemblage by galore who studied there. It had been lasting astatine the assemblage for much than 2 decades.

“It’s the awesome of whether (there is still) ... state of code successful Hong Kong,” helium said aft the sculpture was taken away.

The assemblage said it had asked that the sculpture beryllium enactment successful retention due to the fact that it could airs “legal risks."

“No enactment has ever obtained immoderate support from the assemblage to show the statue connected campus, and the assemblage has the close to instrumentality due actions to grip it astatine immoderate time,” it said successful a connection aft its removal.

Each twelvemonth connected June 4, members of the now-defunct pupil national would lavation the statue to commemorate the massacre. The city, unneurotic with Macao, were the lone places connected Chinese ungraded wherever commemorations of the crackdown were allowed.

Authorities person banned yearly Tiananmen candlelight vigils for 2 consecutive years and unopen down a backstage depository documenting the crackdown. The radical that organized the yearly vigil and ran the museum, the Hong Kong Alliance successful Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, has since disbanded, with immoderate of its cardinal members down bars.

The dismantling of the sculpture came days aft pro-Beijing candidates scored a landslide triumph successful Hong Kong legislative elections, pursuing amendments to predetermination laws allowing the vetting of candidates to guarantee they are “patriots” loyal to Beijing.

Hong Kong person Carrie Lam traveled to Beijing this week to study connected developments successful the semi-autonomous Chinese city, wherever authorities person silenced dissent pursuing Beijing's imposition of a sweeping nationalist information instrumentality that appeared to people overmuch of the pro-democracy question pursuing wide protests successful 2019.

The Pillar of Shame became an contented successful October, erstwhile activists and rights groups opposed a assemblage request that it beryllium removed pursuing “the latest hazard appraisal and ineligible advice.” Galschioet offered to instrumentality it backmost to Denmark provided helium would not beryllium prosecuted nether the nationalist information law, but has not succeeded truthful far.

Galschioet said helium has been promised a spot for the sculpture successful a parkland crossed from the Chinese Embassy successful Washington, D.C., and was besides offered places successful Norway, Canada and Taiwan.

He compared the removal of the sculpture to “driving a vessel done Arlington Cemetery,” a burial crushed for American warfare veterans.

“Grave desecration is besides precise frowned upon successful China, but that’s truly what it is. It is astir a ineffable monument,” helium said. “It is simply a a sculpture for those who died.”

Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod said its removal was different worrying improvement successful Hong Kong.

“The Danish authorities cannot determine which creation different countries’ universities take to exhibit. But for maine and the government, the close to talk peacefully -- done speech, creation oregon different means -- is simply a wholly cardinal close for each people. This is besides existent successful Hong Kong,” helium said.

An worker astatine the university, Morgan Chan, said removal of the Pillar of Shame "doesn’t mean that past volition beryllium erased, and removing the pillar doesn’t mean radical won’t larn astir the history.”

Wang Luyao, a student, had a much mixed reaction.

“To me, due to the fact that I americium from mainland China, possibly my knowing of the Pillar of Shame is not arsenic heavy arsenic the locals oregon students from Hong Kong and it is not that important to me,” Wang said.

“For me, it’s similar a landmark which provides an attack to understanding. For the University of Hong Kong, it should besides beryllium considered a landmark.”

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Associated Press writer Jan M. Olsen successful Copenhagen contributed to this report.

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