Hong Kong | Sculptures from two Hong Kong universities commemorating the Tiananmen pro-democracy movement were debunked on Friday, the institutions said.
In the morning, the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) removed the statue of the “Goddess of Democracy” from its campus.
The establishment explained that the removal of the “unauthorized statue” came after an internal evaluation, adding that the groups responsible for installing the work on campus in 2010 are no longer active.
This statue of Chen Weiming, a six-meter-high replica of the one erected by students demonstrating in Tiananmen Square in 1989, was also a symbol of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement.
The artist, based in the United States, expressed his regret and anger to AFP, explaining that the university had acted “illegally and unreasonably”.
“They act like a thief in the night,” replied Mr. Chen, as the campuses are deserted during the Christmas holidays. “It’s the opposite of being clean and honest … They were afraid of being exposed and of receiving backlash from students and alumni.”
The sculptor assured that his work was on loan, and that he would take legal action if it was damaged.
He said he was considering seeking his removal to California, where he runs Liberty Sculpture Park.
For its part, Lingnan University has announced the withdrawal of a relief commemorating the events of Tiananmen, the work of the same artist, after having “examined and assessed the elements on the campus that may present legal and security risks to the community. university ”.
The day before, the University of Hong Kong (HKU) had unbolted a statue, the “Pillar of Shame”, commemorating the bloody crackdown on June 4, 1989.
Universities are thus joining the ongoing crackdown on tributes to the Tiananmen events which have long been a symbol of the political freedoms enjoyed by Hong Kong until 2020.
The annual vigil on June 4 has been banned since 2020, officially for health and safety reasons. Several of its organizers were arrested and a museum chronicling the 1989 crackdown on the Chinese student movement was closed.
Beijing left its authoritarian mark on the former British colony after the large and sometimes violent protests of 2019, including a draconian national security law.