Two Hong Kong universities removed memorials to the victims of student unrest at Tiananmen Square in Beijing in 1989.
On the night of Friday, December 24, the Bronze Statue of the “Goddess of Democracy” with a torch in hand was dismantled by the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
The “Goddess of Democracy” relief was also removed by Lingnan University. The university’s management informed Reuters about the dismantling of facilities that pose legal risks in the field of safety.
Earlier this week, the University of Hong Kong removed the Pillar of Shame Monument, which depicted a mountain of human bodies and symbolized those killed in clashes in Beijing. The monument has stood throughout the campus for over 20 years. Dismantling took place at night.
In April 1989 in Beijing, adherents of democratic rule began a protest. More than a million people have occupied Tiananmen Square. A month and a half later, tanks came to the square and opened fire on people. According to various estimates, several thousand people died. Beijing says 200 civilians have died.
In 2020, for the first time in 30 years, the Chinese authorities banned an annual vigil in Hong Kong to commemorate the events in Tiananmen Square. They attributed this to restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic. Activists say this was done under pressure from Beijing.
In Hong Kong, under pressure from Beijing, a national security law was passed. Its consideration was accompanied by massive opposition protests in 2019. The document has been criticized for encroaching on the freedoms promised to this special administrative region when it was handed over to China from the UK in 1997.
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