Oldest university in Hong Kong He should have ordered the removal of a statue in memory of protesters killed in the crackdown Tiananmen Square in 1989According to a legal letter published on Friday. The copper statue is eight meters high The centerpiece of the candlelight vigil was held in Hong Kong on June 4 To commemorate the dead when Chinese troops, backed by tanks, opened fire on defenseless pro-democracy protesters in Beijing.
The statue displays 50 haunted faces and bodies stacked on top of each other, and has been on display at the university for more than two decades.
The decision was criticized by the Danish sculptor for the work, Jens Galchiotthat announced for France Press agency That his withdrawal makes clear The current purge of the opposition in the semi-autonomous business center. In a legal letter addressed to the already dissolved Hong Kong Alliance (HKA) – Organizer of the Great Annual Vigil in Tiananmen-, University of Hong Kong group student”Immediately take the necessary measures to remove the statue from the university’s facilities‘, before 09:00 GMT on October 13.
“If the statue is not removed, it will be considered abandoned”, explained in the letter, stating that in this case, the university will take care of the statue in the manner it sees fit, without further details. The Studies House’s decision indicates the progress of the Chinese system on the freedoms of Hong Kong.
Richard Tsui, former member of the Standing Committee of Hong Kong, that the request wasillogicalThey sent a request to the dean of the university HKU to keep the statue. “As a space enjoying freedom of expression and academic freedom, the University of Hong Kong has a social and important responsibility to maintain the ‘pillar of shame’“”, highlighted settle It is a statement.
In an email reply to France Press agency Monday, Galchiot He said he wasI was shocked at the prospect of desecrating the only monument to such an important event in Chinese history“.”I want you to stay in Hong Kong where you are today. That would be true historically. It is an important artwork that has a historical connection to Hong Kong and should remain on Chinese soil.‘, he confirmed.
The Hong Kong Federation did not respond to a question from AFP about the withdrawal order.
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