On Wednesday, Hong Kong University, the region’s oldest and most prestigious university, removed a statue erected to commemorate the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing by the Chinese Communist government against hundreds of protesters demanding democratic reforms. All references and reminders are censored by the Chinese government.

Hong Kong University announces decision to remove statue National Security Act In 2020, the Chinese government tightened its grip on Hong Kong’s semi – autonomous region, where it began violently and systematically suppressing protests and demonstrations last year.

The eight-meter-tall statue, known as the “Pillar of Shame”, was erected by Danish sculptor Jens Galciot on the campus of the University of Hong Kong since 1997: it was removed when the university campus was demolished on Wednesday night. It was almost completely empty.

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