Pillar of Shame (1997), an eight-metre tall statue by artist Jens Galschiøt to commemorate the Tiananmen protests, which took place from 15 April until their violent end on 4 June 1989, has been seized by the Hong Kong Police Force.
Depicting the piled-up bodies of those killed in the crackdown, the sculpture was installed in 1997 at the University of Hong Kong shortly before the former British Colony was handed over to the People’s Republic of China. The public monument was on display until 2021, when it was dismantled and removed by the university and stored offsite on university-owned land.
According to the South China Morning Post, Hong Kong police did not directly comment on the incident, but noted in a statement issued on 6 May: ‘The National Security Department … conducted searches with a warrant [on 5 May]. An exhibit related to an “incitement to subversion” case was seized’. The Secretary for Security, Chris Tang Ping-keung added that the removal is unrelated to the upcoming anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown.
