China Removes Tiananmen Square Sculpture from University in the Middle of the Night Solidifying Its Takeover of Hong Kong

 

China removed a sculpture of the Tiananmen Square massacre from a Hong Kong University in the middle of the night late Wednesday.  

Slowly China has taken over Hong Kong.  COVID solidified the takeover.  Now only the little things must be addressed.

On Wednesday night China removed a sculpture of the Tiananmen Square massacre from a Hong Kong university in the middle of the night.  The Daily Mail reports:

A monument at a Hong Kong university that commemorates the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has been removed in the dead of night – the latest sign of a Communist authoritarian crackdown in the city-state.

The 26-foot tall Pillar of Shame, which depicts 50 torn and twisted bodies piled on top of each other, was made by Danish sculptor Jens Galschiot to symbolize the lives lost during the bloody military crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989.

Workers barricaded the monument at the University of Hong Kong late on Wednesday night. Drilling sounds and loud clanging could be heard coming from the boarded-up site, which was patrolled by guards.

The dismantling of the sculpture came days after pro-Beijing candidates scored a landslide victory in the Hong Kong legislative elections, following amendments in election laws allowed the vetting of all candidates to ensure they are so-called ‘patriots’ loyal to Beijing.

The removal also happened in the same week Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam travelled to Beijing to report on developments in the semi-autonomous Chinese city, where authorities have silenced dissent following the implementation of a sweeping national security law.

The Pillar of Shame monument became an issue in October, with the university demanding that it be removed, even as activists and rights groups protested.

Mr Galschiot offered to take it back to Denmark provided he was given legal immunity that he would not be persecuted under Hong Kong’s national security law, but has not succeeded so far.

In 1989 Tiananmen Square filled with Chinese students wishing for more individual rights in China.  The peaceful protests went on and caught the eye of the world.  In one scene the Chinese military drove down the street in tanks towards the center of Beijing and was stopped by an elderly man who stood in front of the tanks and prevented them from moving forward.  This unknown man is now known as tank man.

A few days later in the middle of the night, the military swept into the Square and killed and removed all who were there.  The next morning the Square was empty.

China used COVID to crush Hong Kong.  Now laws prevent individuals who value freedom from even being voted into the local legislature.

The takeover of Hong Kong by China is done. 

[Author Joe Hoft lived in Hong Kong for a decade, leaving in 2020 in the midst of COVID.  He saw first hand the changes in the tiny nation state as a result of China’s takeover.]