University of Hong Kong demands removal of sculpture honouring victims of Tiananmen Square crackdown
- The Pillar of Shame has been housed on the university’s campus since 1997
- It was originally donated to the now defunct Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China by a Danish artist
The now defunct Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, to which the Pillar of Shame was originally donated decades ago, said on Friday that it had received a legal letter the day before from the University of Hong Kong (HKU) telling it to remove the sculpture from campus by 5pm next Wednesday or else it would be deemed abandoned.
“[The] University will not consider any future request from you in respect of the Sculpture, and the University will deal with the Sculpture at such time and in such [manner] as it thinks fit without further notice,” read the letter to the liquidators of the alliance, Richard Tsoi Yiu-cheong and Elizabeth Tang Yin-ngor.
In a separate statement, HKU said its decision was based on a risk assessment and legal advice.
“The exhibit in question belonged to an external organisation which had publicly announced that it was in the process of disbanding … [The] University has written to the said organisation requesting it to remove the exhibit,” it said.
The university at the time declined to comment on whether any such plans were in the works.