Out of sight, out of mind? Queen Victoria statue obscured by boards and banner ahead of Xi visit
District councillor calls Hong Kong Celebrations Association ‘petty’ for setting up structures in Victoria Park ahead of handover anniversary
A pro-Beijing group overseeing celebratory events for the 20th anniversary of the city’s handover to China was criticised as “petty” after it erected boards and a banner around Victoria Park in a way that obscured the Queen Victoria statue.
The Hong Kong Celebrations Association, which had booked the football pitches in the park for a science expo between Thursday and Sunday, later removed the boards and inflatable banner in response to a request from the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, which manages the park.
Wan Chai district councillor Clarisse Yeung Suet-ying said she saw two rows of boards in front of and behind the bronze statue at the main entrance of the park on Causeway Road on Tuesday afternoon.
An inflatable red banner which read “To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region” was also set up above the statue, which was erected in 1896 in what is now Statue Square to commemorate the queen’s Golden Jubilee. It was moved to Victoria Park in 1955.
The statue was almost completely blocked by the boards and banner, though the association eventually clarified that this was not intended. The objects were removed by workers later on Tuesday.