#BreakingNews
The pillar of Shame is being destroyed in these minutes : Jen Galschiot calls for public record on Twitter

According to the Undergrad, at around 2200 on #Dec22, the Pillar of Shame located inside HKU grounds were closed off by construction workers, authorised by the school authorities.

White cloth and yellow barriers could be seen barricading the view of the Pillar from the pedestrian bridge above and near it on the ground. School personnel watched over the site, with construction noise emanating nearby.

Sources revealed that the school Council have convened a meeting on #Dec22 and has come to the conclusion of disassembling the Pillar of Shame. People at HKU believed that this decision was spurred on by pressure from the National Security Department, which could be seen as direct pressure from the Chinese Central Government.

At around 0000 on #Dec23, a crane and a truck carrying a container could be seen arriving at HKU.

The Pillar of Shame, sculpted by artist Jens Galschiøt to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Massacre, has stood in HKU grounds for 24 years. The school authorities had initially remained cooperative with its display on school grounds, but had recently called for removal of the sculpture since October. As the University could not determine who the sculpture belonged to, the fate of the sculpture had remained undecided.

Many have regarded the Pillar of Shame as a symbol of freedom in Hong Kong as the creator, Jen Galschiøt, wrote in 1997, "it [the Pillar of Shame] was put on permanent public display to serve, as a test of the authorities’ “guarantees for human rights and freedom of expression in Hong Kong.”

Sources: Stand News; Citizen News; Jen Galschiot's Twitter page; #Dec23

Images: Stand News; Citizen News; Roy Li and Stephanie Wu

#HKU #PillarOfShame

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CUHK Removes Goddess of Democracy Statue Without Warning

One day after the University of Hong Kong (#HKU) removed the Pillar of Shame, a memorial of the Tiananmen Square Massacre by Danish artist Jens Galschiøt, the Chinese University of Hong Kong (#CUHK) also took action to remove a memorial sculpture on its campus, the Goddess of Democracy, without prior announcement.

Sources in CUHK claim that the university had been planning for the statue's removal, but had moved up its schedule once they saw HKU took down the Pillar of Shame. It was also said that the school had considered directly demolishing the statue and sending it to the landfill. The statue is currently placed in temporary storage.

Compared to HKU's actions on the day prior, CUHK was even more subtle in their actions. Before starting to dismantle the pillar, HKU had first enclosed the area with barricades; this gave students and journalists precious time to come to the scene and record the event. CUHK, in comparison, acted in complete secrecy; the statue was not guarded in any way as late as the previous evening. Their dismantling work began around 6am this morning, and by 6:30, the statue was removed without a trace.

The Goddess of Democracy statue was a replica of the one erected on Tiananmen Square during the student protests in 1989, days before the violent crackdown by the Chinese army on June 4. The replica was created by Chinese sculptor Chen Weiming (陳維明) , and was shipped to Hong Kong on June 2, 2010 and received by the Hong Kong Alliance, the organizer of the annual June 4 candlelight vigil. The statue was temporarily confiscated by police, a number of Alliance members were arrested, and Chen himself was denied entry to the city; despite the setbacks, the statue was able to go on display at the candlelight vigil two days later. It was then shipped to CUHK, escorted by over 2000 citizens, students, and faculty members, and was erected on the grass near the University MTR station, where it stood until today.

Source: 白影, HKGolden
Photo: 白影, CUHK Student Press

#June4 #GoddessOfDemocracy #TiananmenMassacre #Memorial #Censorship #PoliticalSuppression

Read more:
The pillar of Shame is being destroyed in these minutes : Jen Galschiot calls for public record on Twitter
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/31702

#WhiteTerror #Censorship
City University of Hong Kong Demands Student Union to Remove Pro-democracy Monument

Before the Christmas day of 2021, several universities in Hong Kong destroyed and removed monuments in commemoration of the victims of the 1989 June 4th Tiananmen Massacre. They include the Pillar of Shame in the University of Hong Kong; the Statue of the Goddess of Democracy in the Chinese University of Hong Kong; and a commemorative relief in Hong Kong Lingnan University.

The student union of the City University of Hong Kong (#CityU) was demanded by the University Management to remove the Statue of the Goddess of Democracy located next to the Wall of Democracy.

On December 24, 2021, the Student Union released a statement on Facebook, stating that they will preserve the statue in another location so as to avoid damage.

In the statement, the Student Union expressed that "history and public remembrance can longer be stored in objects, but will live forever in our memory. The responsibility of our generation of Hongkongers is to remember and pass on our memories."

Source: Stand News; CityU Student Union #Dec25

https://www.instagram.com/p/CX3gKuvBAep/

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