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Two more universities are removing Tiananmen monuments in Hong Kong
Two other universities in Hong Kong removed monuments to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen protests in Beijing on Friday. A statement from the Chinese University of Hong Kong said the unauthorized “goddess of democracy” statue had been removed: Lingnan University removed a relief from the Tiananmen massacre that also contained a depiction of the “goddess of democracy”. The university stated in an email that items that could pose “legal and security risks” had been cleared or removed and stored accordingly. A red picture of the goddess of democracy in the main hall of the student union at Lingnan University had also been painted over with gray paint. Artist Chen Weiming, who created both the statue and the mural, said he would sue the universities if his works were damaged. On Thursday night, authorities had removed a statue in memory of the victims on Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. The so-called “Pillar of Shame” was reminiscent of the violent crackdown on the democracy protests in Beijing in 1989. Unlike on mainland China, where the authorities have banned all June 4th commemorations, Hong Kong has so far been the only place on Chinese soil where such celebrations are held were allowed.
On Thursday night, the authorities had removed a statue commemorating the victims of the massacre on Beijing Square in 1989. Beijing has been trying for years to restrict the previous freedoms and rights of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and to suppress the democracy movement.