‘Pillar of Shame’ sculpture seized by Hong Kong police
Security police in Hong Kong have seized a sculpture commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre victims in connection with an investigation into subversion. The removal comes less than a month before the event’s 34th anniversary on June 4th.
A source close to the case told the South China Morning Post that the sculpture – Pillar of Shame – was seized from the Kadoorie Centre in Yuen Long, an agricultural research facility operated by the University of Hong Kong (HKU), on Friday.
A statement from the police force confirmed that a seizure had been undertaken relating to a security case but did not reveal additional details. “The National Security Department of the Hong Kong Police Force conducted searches with a warrant this morning,” it stated. “An exhibit related to an ‘incitement to subversion’ case was seized in Yuen Long.”
The Danish creator of the artwork, Jens Galschiot, told the SCMP that its capture was “outrageous” and that he was not consulted or notified about it.
“I have heard that the sculpture will be used as evidence under the national security law, but this makes no sense to me,” he said, maintaining ownership. “The initiative has been mine, nobody has incited me to put it there, and I personally paid all expenses for it. I cannot see how they can use the sculpture under the national security law.”
No precise figures have ever been released regarding the Tiananmen Square massacre. Estimates vary from hundreds to thousands on both sides.
