#CUHK #GoddessOfDemocracyStatue
On Christmas Eve, there was candlelight on the CUHK campus, sorrowing where the Goddess of Democracy is

#June4 #TiananmenMassacre #HKU #PillarOfShame #Candlelight

Source : The Stand News; #Dec24

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#CUHK #GoddessOfDemocracyStatue
On Christmas Eve, there was candlelight on the CUHK campus, sorrowing where the Goddess of Democracy is

The annual June 4th candlelight vigils in Victoria Park that had been banned for two consecutive years has "reappeared" in the Chinese University in Hong Kong (#CUHK) on Christmas Eve, following authorities deliberate removal of the statue of the Goddess of Democracy overnight.

The statue which had been placed on the university campus for 11 years, was suddenly removed without a word of warning on December 24, a day after the Pillar of Shame was dismantled in the University of Hong Kong (#HKU) on December 23.

Read more about the Dismentaling of Pillar of Shame in #HKU
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/31704

After lunch time, some students used dozens of pictures of the Goddess of Democracy statue to recreate the statue of Goddess of Democracy in CUHK.

Graduates and citizens even seen presenting flowers to the "new" statue in a bid to express their grief.

In the evening, they lit small candles that pieced together the appearance of “June 4th”, “democracy”, and “Goddess of Democracy”. It looked as if the long-lost candlelight vigils - held in remembrance of victims of June 4th massacre in Beijing - has actually "reappeared" on the campus of CUHK on Christmas Eve this year.

Brandon, a CUHK student, expressed that the statue of Goddess of Democracy symbolized not only the “June 4th incident”, it was also an indicator of freedom of speech and political climate in the university and the society at large.

He said the students knew that the school will remove the statue of Goddess of Democracy when HKU removed the Pillar of Shame. They believed it fell beyond the control of the university management.

“However we didn't expect that the statue literally disappeared overnight," added Brandon in distress.

Source : Stand News; #Dec24
https://thestandnews.page.link/2BeHeBaAcUuj6UzLA

#CUHK #June4 #GoddessOfDemocracyStatue #TiananmenMassacre #HKU #PillarOfShame #Candlelight

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RELATED ARTICLES
CUHK Removes Goddess of Democracy Statue Without Warning
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/31710?single

#Court #PoliticalProsecution
#ChowHangTung References #TiananmenMassacre Against Accusations by Hong Kong Authorities

Source: Ming Pao; InMedia; RTHK #Jan4

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https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/31821

#Court #PoliticalProsecution
#ChowHangTung References #TiananmenMassacre Against Accusations by Hong Kong Authorities

On January 4, 2022, Hong Kong court found Barrister Chow Hang-tung, chairperson of the Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, guilty of "inciting others to join an unauthorized assembly" in 2020 — being the annual June 4th vigil in Victoria Park. The Alliance has been the organizer of the annual candlelight vigil in Hong Kong in commemoration of the victims of the June 4 Tiananmen Massacre in Beijing since 1989.

West Kowloon Magistrate Amy Chan made the ruling according to a newspaper article and two social media posts published by Chow. Chow was sentenced to 15 months in jail. In addition to the sentence for another June 4 case, Chow will be jailed for 22 months in total.

As Chow defended herself, her speech won applause from the attendees of the court session.

Chow pointed out how commemorating June 4 was turned from the "bottomline of conscience" to a "dangerous red line". Following the removal https://bit.ly/3zoJArf June 4 related monuments and the closure of Stand News and Citizen News, this left no room to publicly talk about the 1989 June 4 Tiananmen Massacre. Nevertheless, Chow said that she believes in the power of words, "Words have life which cannot be determined by the authorities nor the court." Chow said she would continue to speak up, regardless of the sentence.

In her conclusive statement, Chow cited the testimonies of the families of the Tiananmen Massacre and recounted how military tanks ran over civilians and pro-democracy protesters on the streets of Beijing in 1989. The judge interrupted Chow, questioning the relevance to the case. Chow said the victims of the Tiananmen Massacre are the victims of the case, "their voices should be heard in court more than mine."

The attendees of the court session applaused, while the judge ordered the police to "mark down their names and ID card numbers."

Chow concluded, "those who should plead for forgiveness are those executioners who destroyed families and those who called the Pillar of Shame ugly." Chow said she will preserve the candle of June 4 and bear the consequence of white terror.

Source: Ming Pao; InMedia; RTHK #Jan4
#Conscience #Perseverance #NeverGiveUp #Resistance #June4 #Alliance

#ChowHangTung‘s fiancé writes open letter: “When winter is here, spring is not too far away”

On January 4, 2022, Hong Kong court sentenced Barrister Chow Hang-tung, chairperson of the Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, to 15 months in jail for “inciting others to join an unauthorized assembly” in 2020. Said assembly was the annual June 4th vigil held every year since 1989 in Victoria Park, Hong Kong in commemoration of the victims of the June 4 Tiananmen Massacre in Beijing.

Yedu, Chow's fiancee and human rights activist in China, wrote a letter to Chow a few days prior to the court's ruling. The letter was slated to be released by Citizens News, but the news outlet was shut down on January 4, 2022. The letter was at last made public on Facebook.

In the letter, Yedu said a heavy sentence was expected and that rule of law has fallen in Hong Kong. Yedu wrote the letter when former and current management members of Stand News was arrested. "This is the beginning of a long winter," Yedu wrote.

"When winter is here, spring is not too far away,” Yedu also wrote.

Freedom is fragile. According to Yedu, freedom can be “trampled by the regime in a short time,” even that “the right to mourn would be silenced”. A regime does not need citizen, only subjects.

However, seeing how Hongkongers sent letters to Chow and showed support inside and outside of the court, Yedu said, “I can see that people's hearts are not dead yet.”

At last, Yedu cited the lyrics of “Flower of Freedom,” a song dedicated to the pro-democracy protesters who were wounded by or died of the 1989 June 4 Tiananmen Massacre in Beijing:

"However heavy the rain is, the flower of freedom will still bloom.”

On the same day, Chow's personal page was updated with the statement she gave in court on January 4, 2022:

"The only way to defend the freedom of speech is to keep talking."

Source: InmediaHK #Jan5

#Court #PoliticalProsecution
#Resistance #Yedu #Alliance #NeverGiveUp

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Related News

Chow Hang Tung References #TiananmenMassacre Against Accusations by Hong Kong Authorities
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/31821

#June4th
New School for Democracy Announces Rebuilding #PillarofShame in #Taiwan: "One Pillar Falls, Thousands More Will Be Raised"

In December 2021, #TiananmenMassacre memorials in three universities across Hong Kong were taken down within 48 hours. They included the Pillar Of Shame in the University of Hong Kong (#HKU).

On December 24, 2021, Taiwan's New School for Democracy announced their plan to rebuild the pillar at the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. They will also invite the pillar's creator #JensGalschiøt to unveil it on the June 4 night vigil in 2022.

"HKU tore down one pillar, but thousands more are being raised across the world," said the School. A 3D scan of the original pillar at HKU has been made available online for download.

The New School for Democracy also held a press conference titled "Don't Trample Human Rights and Affections with 'National Security'", in which they voiced their solidarity with Chinese human rights activists Zhang Zhan, Guo Feixiong, and Tang Jitian. The group called on Beijing to release the the three detained activists and let them be reunited with their families.

President of the New School for Democracy Association Zeng Jianyuan decried HKU's actions as destroying the university's spirit of autonomy.

Destroying "the Pillar of Shame for June 4", as he called it, is equivalent to erecting an invisible pillar of shame for academic freedom. Zeng announced that the Pillar will be rebuilt in Taiwan, and it will carry the memories of the Tiananmen Massacre as well as Hong Kong's Anti-ELAB movement.

Source: RFA; Citizen News #Dec25
http://bit.ly/3ql3TSt

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Related News:
Activists Preserve HK's Tiananmen Memorial Pillar in Digital 3D Model: "They Can't Silence Us All" [Oct 30, 2021]
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/31330

The Pillar of Shame is being destroyed in these minutes : Jen Galschiot calls for public record on Twitter [Dec 22, 2021]
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/31702

#Monument #Memory

#Censorship #Oppression
Hong Kong Government's Double Standard: Patriotism Gets Free Pass in Political Union Activities; Complaints About June 4 Commemorations Will Spring Action

Source: InMediaHK, CRHK #Dec28

#NanjingMassacre #TiananmenMassacre #RedLine

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#Censorship #Oppression
Hong Kong Government's Double Standard: Patriotism Gets Free Pass in Political Union Activities; Complaints About June 4 Commemorations Will Spring Action

Commissioner for Labour Chris Sun Yuk Han was interviewed interview by Commercial Radio on December 28, 2021. When asked about the boundaries that constitutes as “union activities”, Sun claimed that, with activities such as commemorating the #NanjingMassacre, such activities involving patriotism and race are "common sense", and would "not constitute as a violation of the ordinance."

Under the Trade Unions Ordinance, the funds of a registered trade union shall not, whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere be applied either directly or indirectly for any political purpose; or be paid or transferred to any person or body of persons in furtherance of any political purpose.

Citing the ordinance, The Labour Department had removed the General Union of Hong Kong Speech Therapist (#GUST) from their registry of unions in October 2021 due to a suspected violation in one of its union activities.

“If it involves patriotism and the importance of the [Chinese] race," Sun said during the interview, "it would be common sense to pay attention to the issue. Unions should do what unions do, but if it is something that should be done under common sense, then do it. You don’t need to worry.”

On the contrary, when asked about commemorating the June 4th #TiananmenMassacre, Sun replied, “if someone submitted a complaint, or if the activities are well beyond what unions should do, we have the responsibility to do something about it.”

Source: InMediaHK, CRHK #Dec28
https://bit.ly/3HdPpdV

#NanjingMassacre #TiananmenMassacre #RedLine

#WhiteTerror #Oppression
Over a dozen companies refuse to transport #PillarofShame, citing concerns over Chinese government's reprisal

The Pillar of Shame - the Tiananmen memorial at the University of Hong Kong (#HKU) which stood for more than 20 years - has been dismantled and packed away in cargo containers by the University management in the middle of the night in December 2021.

Since then, the creator of the Pillar, Danish artist #JensGalschiøt, had been attempting to ship the Pillar back to Denmark.

In a statement, Galschiøt said that his team, including lawyers, 2 shipping companies, and even the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs were involved in the effort, but they had yet to find a company to move the cargo container from storage to the container wharf.

12 shipping companies turned them down, all citing concerns over the Chinese government taking vengeance on them.

Galschiøt reiterated that he is still hopeful for success, but it remains unclear as to when the Pillar can be shipped out of Hong Kong.

Source: Inmediahk; #Apr19
https://bit.ly/3918PH7

See also:
The Pillar of Shame is being destroyed in these minutes : Jen Galschiot calls for public record on Twitter (Dec 23, 2021)
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/31702

New School for Democracy Announces Rebuilding Pillar of Shame in Taiwan: "One Pillar Falls, Thousands More Will Be Raised" (Jan 27, 2022)
https://t.me/BeWaterHK/15

#June4 #TiananmenMassacre #Memorial

Standing Committee Members Imprisoned: The Dilemma of Hong Kong Alliance and the Beginning of the June 4th Debate

By Translated by BeWater HK on May 9, 2022 • 16 May 2022

On September 10, 2021 at West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts Division 2, after the court clerk read out the charges, Tonyee Chow Hang-tung, who stood in the defendant's column, responded with a sonorous voice: "Understood, this is a ridiculous charge." Applause from the public gallery filled the court room.

Source: The Stand News #Sep24

#HKASPDMC #HongKongAlliance #NSL #NationalSecurityLaw

#June4 #TiananmenMassacre #DemocracyMovement

#SzetoWah #ChowHangTung #TonyeeChow #TsangKinShing #LeeCheukYan #AlbertHo

Full Story：

https://telegra.ph/Standing-Committee-Members-Imprisoned-The-Dilemma-of-Hong-Kong-Alliance-and-the-Beginning-of-the-June-4th-Debate-05-16

#Oppression #June4
Hong Kong authorities "blocked" venue for once-annual candlelight vigil for Tiananmen massacre victims for a third year running

On May 24, a local daily, Ming Pao reported that the Leisure and Cultural Service Department (#LCSD), which administers the Victoria Park soccer pitches where the rally used to take place, has suspended any bookings on June 4, the 33rd anniversary of the #TiananmenMassacre, although bookings are available on other days in the same month.

Just 3 days afterwards, on May 27, the football pitches at Victoria Park were seen fully booked on June 4 from as early as 7am in the morning. No bookings, however, were seen for the rest of June. The same daily found. 

The vigil has been banned -- ostensibly for public health reasons -- for the past two years and the leaders of its organizing group, the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, arrested for colluding with foreign powers under a national security law imposed by Beijing from July 1, 2020.

Sources:
Ming Pao; #May24

https://bit.ly/3avt8NF

Ming Pao; #May27

https://bit.ly/3M00GjM

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Related news
Hong Kong Catholic group will not hold Tiananmen crackdown masses citing fears over national security law
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/32764
.

#Solidarity #June4
Tiananmen vigil events across globe in solidarity with Hong Kong

"The Chinese government’s concerted efforts to erase the Tiananmen crackdown from history have spread to Hong Kong since the national security law was enacted in the city in 2020. But the atrocities of 4 June 1989 must never be forgotten,” Hana Young, Amnesty International’s East Asia deputy regional director, said in a statement.

Amnesty International and other rights groups have planned events and memorials overseas. Vigils will be held in cities such as San Francisco and Washington DC in the US, Seoul in South Korea, Taipei in Taiwan, Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia, Sydney in Australia, Oslo in Norway, Paris in France, Amsterdam in the Netherlands and London in the UK.

#TiananmenMassacre

Source: Amnesty International; #May26
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/05/china-tiananmen-vigil-events-across-globe-in-solidarity-with-hong-kong/

#FirstHand #June3
Hongkongers Insist on Remembering #June4th

In the past, #CandleVigil was held annually in Hong Kong on June 4 to commemorate the victims of 1989 #TiananmenMassacre in Beijing.

Starting from 11pm on June 3, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (#LCSD) of the Hong Kong SAR Government ordered to close the football pitches and the lawn area in #VictoriaPark, to "curb unauthorised assembly".

Over 100 police officers patrolled at all the entrances of the Park since 10:30pm. Some areas in the park were blocked by crowd control barriers.

Mr Sung, an artist who wore a black face mask, arrived at Victoria Park at 9:30pm. He sat on the ground with an umbrella and two e-candles, reading "The History of Modern Mime". The police stopped and searched him and asked him his purpose at the venue. He only answered "no comment".

Despite the heavy rain , Mr Sung didn't back down. He held up his umbrella and continued to sit-in until 11pm, the deadline given by the LCSD.

#Remembrance #PoliceState

#NeverForget #NeverTrustCCP
Excerpted from archived news footage from Hong Kong news station #TVB, the video recorded one of the chaotic scenes of the Tiananmen Massacre near Beijing's Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989.

The sound of gunfire is incessant.

Today, many youngsters in China have never heard about the June 4 massacre, due to the Chinese government's censorship.

Take a good look of this video.

Keep it.
Share it, and
Remember it.

#June4 #TiananmenMassacre

#FirstHand #Jun4
#Hongkongers, #Tibetans and #EastTurkestans Join Assembly Outside of ChineseEmbassy in #London

On June 4, 2022, more than 200 people gather outside the Chinese Embassy in London for a candlelight vigil in remembrance of the victims of the #TiananmenMassacre back in 1989.

#IsaacCheng Ka-Long, the former Vice-Chairperson of #Demosisto, and #YauManChun, a former Shatin District Councillor, were the moderated the event. Speakers representing the #UK, #HongKong, #Tibet and #EastTurkestan took turn to speak. The pre-recorded speech of #ZhangXianLing, one of the "#TiananmenMothers", were played after a minute of silence was observed.

Zhang Xianling's son was massacred at Beijing's Tiananmen Square on June 4 1989. Her son was 19 years old when killed. Zhang sent blessing to Hongkongers. Despite the suppression of demonstration and commemorative events in Hong Kong, Zhang encouraged the people of Hong Kong not to give up.

#BenedictRoger, the founder of #HongKongWatch, brought a yellow umbrella to the event, saying the umbrella were only used in rainy weather but it also symbolised the sovereignty and the power of the people who suffer suppression. He hopes people would see the UK as a shelter.

#LeeWingTat, a former legislator from Hong Kong's pro-democracy camp, also gave a speech, urging people not to give up. Under the National Security Law (#NSL) and other regulations, he foresaw the arrival of more and more Hong Kong immigrants to the UK. He encouraged those who arrived early to help others to settle and hoped to spread the situation in Hong Kong to the world.

#TserinPassang, a British-born Tibetan talked about how his parents went in exiled due to the high-pressure suppression in Tibel such as re-education camps and forced labour. He said that over hundred Tibetans conducted self-immolation to express their discontent, but the suppression by Chinese Communist Party (#CCP) regime does not cease. He expressed his will to go to his homeland hopefully in a not so distant future.

After that, a representative from East Turkestan spoke on the genocid and the need to raise people's awareness on all humanitarian crises.

Although it is no longer possible to continue the tradition of holding an annual candlelight vigil at Hong Kong's #VictoriaPark, the commemorarive event is carried out overseas and is joined by not just Hongkongers.

The assembly in London ended with three songs: "The Flower of Freedom" (自由花), "The Internationale", and "Glory to Hong Kong". The participants chanted pro-democracy slogans to voice their demands outside the Chinese Embassy.

#Remembrance #Solidarity #Overseas #Resistance #Diaspora #Hongkongers

As Hong Kong clamps down, ‘burden of remembering’ #TiananmenMassacre shifts overseas

Source: Globe and Mail #June3

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As Hong Kong clamps down, ‘burden of remembering’ #TiananmenMassacre shifts overseas

// In the decades since the Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing on June 4, 1989, one of the most indelible images associated with the event, alongside “Tank Man” and the Goddess of Democracy statue, has been a sea of candles, lighting up the night.

Every year, tens of thousands gathered in Hong Kong’s Victoria Park to commemorate the dead and echo their calls for democracy in China.

No more. The 30th anniversary of the massacre in 2019 was the last time it was marked by a mass gathering in Hong Kong. Memorials since then have been banned on coronavirus grounds, as is the case this year, with public gatherings still limited to four people...

“With the last symbol of freedom of assembly and freedom of speech in Hong Kong being taken away it is crucial for Hong Kongers and all persons of conscience around the world to pick up the torch and make sure that the flame of freedom and democracy remain burning,” said Mabel Tung, chair of the Vancouver Society in Support of Democratic Movement (#VSSDM), a group founded by Chinese Canadians in support of the 1989 protests.

...Amnesty International said it is arranging events in more than 20 cities this year, and will call on participants not only to remember those killed in Beijing, but also “stand in solidarity with those in Hong Kong whose peaceful acts of commemoration are now criminalized.”

In Asia, one of the largest memorials will be in Taipei, where organizers plan to unveil a replica of the “Pillar of Shame,” a statue commemorating the Tiananmen victims that was forcibly removed from Hong Kong last year...//

Source: Globe and Mail #June3

Read the full article:
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-as-hong-kong-clamps-down-burden-of-remembering-tiananmen-massacre/

#Remembrance #Solidarity #Overseas #Resistance #Diaspora #Hongkongers