Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam ‘not involved’ in deciding whether Tiananmen crackdown statue can remain on university campus

Chief executive says she will not interfere in the university’s affairs despite being its chancellor, and that artistic and academic freedoms have been safeguarded

Danish artist Jens Galschiøt, who created the sculpture in honour of the demonstrators who lost their lives, says removing it will be ‘sacrilege’

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The Pillar of Shame has stood on the University of Hong Kong campus for 24 years. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Published: 2:46pm, 5 Oct 2021Updated: 11:29pm, 5 Oct 2021

Hong Kong’s leader has distanced herself from the controversy over whether a sculpture that pays tribute to victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown can remain at the city’s top university, saying she is not involved in such decision-making.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, who also holds the title of chancellor at the city’s public universities, said on Tuesday she would not interfere after the creator of the Pillar of Shame warned that any attempt to remove the memorial from the University of Hong Kong (HKU) campus would be “sacrilege”.

“This incident happened on the university campus. I would expect the university management to handle it according to their own policies,” Lam said on Tuesday. “I do not get myself involved or interfere in the affairs of the university.”

Chief Executive Carrie Lam is the chancellor of the city’s public universities. Photo: Nora Tam

Lam said artistic and academic freedoms had been safeguarded, but did not offer any clarification of rumours regarding removal plans.

Danish artist Jens Galschiøt said on Monday that letting the sculpture he created remain on campus would help the world remember the peaceful demonstrators who had lost their lives during the crackdown.

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