Pillar of Shame

Sculpture series by Jens Galschiot commemorating the Tiananmen Square massacre

Pillar of Shame is a series of sculptures by Danish artist Jens Galschiøt memorialising the loss of life during specific events or caused by specific circumstances in history. Each sculpture is an tall statue of bronze, copper or concrete. The first sculpture was inaugurated at the NGO Forum of the FAO summit in Rome, Italy in 1996. Since then three other pillars have been erected, in Victoria City, Hong Kong; Acteal, Mexico; and Brasilia, Brazil. A fifth in Berlin, Germany was planned for completion in 2002, but the plan has not come to fruition due to funding issues.

According to Galschiøt, the sculptures remind people of a shameful event which must never recur. The torn and twisted bodies of the sculpture symbolize the degradation, devaluation and lack of respect for the individual. The black colour symbolises grief and loss and the sculpture, which represents the victims, expresses the pain and the despair of the event. It can be used by both sides in complicated conflict situations, where it can be difficult to point out the guilty party.

In October 2021 the University of Hong Kong, represented by law firm Mayer Brown, formally requested that the statue be removed, although they did not cite any specific reason for the request. The university released a statement claiming that the statue belonged to "an external organisation" which had publicly announced its disbandmentreferring to the Hong Kong Alliance and that it had written to the Alliance based on the "latest risk assessment and legal advice" to request the removal. He urged HKU to allow the statue to remain, saying that it would help the world to remember the peaceful demonstrators who "were killed for expressing their wishes for political participation". He said that he hoped to "be able to transport the sculpture out of Hong Kong under orderly conditions", and that any damage to the statue would be the university's responsibility. On 15 October, Mayer Brown announced that it would no longer be representing the university in the matter of the statue, while retaining it as a client. The move came days after intense pressure, including by an open letter penned by 28 civil society groups, as well as by overseas intellectuals.

According to media accounts in Hong Kong, the University of Hong Kong blockaded the Pillar of Shame and the surrounding area on 22 December 2021. Near midnight, the university sent security guards and workers to the site, prepared trucks with cranes for its demolition, and the security guards blocked journalists from approaching and attempted to stop media outlets filming. By daylight on 23 December 2021, the statue had disappeared. The university stated that the statue would be put into storage, reportedly in Kadoorie Centre. Galschiøt expressed his shock in a public message the same day, referring to Hong Kong as a lawless place and announcing that he would claim compensation if it wasn't returned to him. By 24 December 2021, the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and the Lingnan University had followed suit regarding the 4 June memorials on their campus. Following the removal, Galschiøt received over 40 inquiries about making copies of the statue. He decided to relinquish his right to commercial exclusivity, so that anyone can make a copy, provided that all profits are given to the Hong Kong pro democracy movement. In May 2022, a replica was installed at the University of Oslo, scheduled to be on display for about a month. In May 2023, the Pillar of Shame was seized from storage at the Kadoorie Centre by Hong Kong's National Security Department, reportedly to be used as evidence in a case of subversion of state power.