Art event in front of the Danish Parliament goes viral in Hong Kong

The planned erection of the eight-meter-high “Pillar of Shame” in front of the Danish Parliament

goes viral in Hong Kong - even before the sculpture has been erected!

Jens Galschiøt working on a "Hong Kong activist" in copper. Four of these masks will be attached on the Pillar of Shame.

“Since we two days ago made it public that we will erect the Pillar of Shame in front of the Danish Parliament the interest from Hong Kong has exploded,” says Jens Galschiøt.

”The last couple of days the interest from Hong Kong has been massive. Several news outlets in Hong Kong have contacted us to cover this art manifestation. Likewise, we have received messages and comments from Hong Kong leaders, Hong Kong artists, like the artists behind the Hong Kong version of Lady Liberty, and hundreds of Hong Kong activists. From all sides there is an enormous gratitude. Several express that it is crucial for them to know that their fight for basic human rights in Hong Kong is not forgotten about in the rest of the world,” explains Jens Galschiøt.

The artists behind the iconic Hong Kong version of Lady Liberty sculpture call the erection of the Pillar of Shame “a really strong piece of work, a really powerful expression” and express their hopes that this art manifestation will create media exposure in the European population.

On Facebook a post about the Pillar of Shame has been widely shared, and has reached over 200.000 people in Hong Kong since Friday.

The “Pillar of Shame” sculpture will be erected on the 23^rd of January in front of the Danish Parliament in solidarity with Hong Kong's democracy movement. The art manifestation is launched in collaboration between Galschiøt, the green political party The Alternative and Amnesty International Denmark. Several other political parties in the Danish Parliament support the initiative.

See the original Press Release below

For further information contact:

Jens Galschiøt, artist. Mobile: +45 4044 7058 or +45 6618 4058 aidoh@aidoh.dk

More photos can be found at https://www.galschiot.com/

Link to Facebook post

The socket on the memorial.

PRESS RELEASE sent 17 jan 2020

The Danish Parliament Support the Hong Kong Activists

#Denmark Stands With HongKong

Dear Press

Together with several political parties in Denmark, we will erect the 8 meter high “Pillar of Shame” in front of the Danish Parliament. The purpose of this Art manifestation is to speak out against China’s shameful behavior in Hong Kong.

We have worked flat out to have it ready, and we have updated the “Pillar of Shame” with four Hong Kong activists in copper – it looks fantastic!

Read more about this art manifestation in the Press Release below.

If you happen to be in Denmark on January 23th, then join us for the opening on Slotspladsen in front of the Danish Parliament at 12pm.

Happy New Year and all the very best,

Jens Galschiot

Pillar of Shame erected in Denmark in solidarity with

Hong Kong's democracy movement

An eight-meter-high sculpture with distorted bodies will be raised on January 23rd in front of the Danish Parliament in solidarity with Hong Kong protesters

The sculpture is made by the Danish artist Jens Galschiøt, and it is erected in collaboration between Galschiøt, the green political party The Alternative and Amnesty International Denmark.

A group of parties in the Danish Parliament supports the art manifestation: Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA), SF, Enhedslisten and Fremad.

“Hong Kong citizens only have a chance of preserving freedom of expression and the right of peaceful assembly if they are backed by us in the West. Also, if it is only moral support. I have talked to activists in the democracy movement and I know this kind of support is crucial to them,” says Jens Galschiøt.

Galschiøt's Pillar of Shame is a series of sculptures which mark grave abuses against humanity. The sculptures remind people of a shameful event which must never recur. The first sculpture was made to mark the Chinese authorities’ bloody crackdown on peaceful protesters at Tiananmen Square in Beijing in 1989. Hundreds, if not thousands of unarmed student-protesters and civilians were killed.

“The sculpture was first erected in collaboration with Hong Kong’s Democracy Movement 23 years ago in Hong Kong. It has become one of the important symbolic sculptures in the city. Since that time, I have worked with artists and political activists both inside and outside China,” explains Jens Galschiøt.

Three Pillars of Shame are permanently located in Hong Kong, Mexico and Brazil.

The Pillar of Shame, which will be erected in front of the Danish Parliament, is a modified version where Hong Kong activists are also portrayed.

The sculpture will stay outside the Danish Parliament for three months, where activists will organize various happenings.

Human rights are under pressure

For the Danish party The Alternative it was natural to be co-organizing the art manifestation.

"We have for a long time focused on the disturbing and deeply critical situation in Hong Kong, both in the Danish Parliament and at a ministerial level. We have also had election observers at the last district council election in Hong Kong," says the party’s political leader Uffe Elbæk.

"We are showing our support and commitment to the people of Hong Kong. We support this because the conflict in Hong Kong also tells a story about human rights being under pressure many places in the world today. Freedom of speech and the right of peaceful assembly is under attack and methods like facial recognition is being used in tyrannical ways, which we want to be unlawful in Denmark.”

Amnesty International has documented how Hong Kong citizens' human rights have been curtailed. The organization has also documented police violence against the protesters and the use of unnecessary and excessive force.

“It is important for us to show solidarity with the people of Hong Kong who are fighting for freedom of speech and peaceful assembly. We will not accept peaceful protesters being beaten, imprisoned and prevented from expressing their opinions. Human rights apply everywhere - also in China,” says Trine Christensen, Secretary General of Amnesty International Denmark.

The erection of the Hong Kong Pillar of Shame will be marked with speeches in front of the sculpture by Jens Galschiøt, the Alternative, Amnesty International Denmark and Hong Kong activists living in Denmark at 12 noon on the 23rd.

For further information contact:

Jens Galschiøt, artist. Mobile: +45 4044 7058

Malene Haakansson, Head of Press Amnesty International Denmark. Mobile: +45 2565 2075

Rune Langhoff, Press Advisor, The Alternative. Mobile: +45 6162 4778

Photo and info here or at : Jens Galschiøt, artist. Mail : aidoh@aidoh.dk or Mobile: +45 4044 7058

PRESS RELEASE sent 2 june 2019

About Hong Kong at the moment

It seems that China’s suppression of free speech still has a solid grip, also in Hong Kong. Galschiot is just one of many critics who have been denied entry. So the city is deprived of a cultural exchange that is taken for granted in all open democratic societies. The expulsions are a blatant violation of the principle of ‘One country – Two systems’ that was guaranteed as part of Hong Kong’s reunion with China in ‘97.

In 2013 Galschiøt managed to enter Hong Kong to repair ‘The Pillar of Shame’. In these very years Hong Kong stands on the precipice of realizing the 1997 agreements with China, to develop a real democracy in Hong Kong. But they are under a lot of pressure from non-democratic forces. The results of these negotiations are crucial for the future of Hong Kong.

Throughout 2014 massive demonstrations in Hong Kong have taken place. They fight for the right to get the democratic elective system that China promised Hong Kong's citizens when they took over the country in 1997.

The peaceful demonstrations have been met with comprehensive violent force from Hong Kong's police, and the citizens have been defending themselves against the police´s pepper spray canisters with simple umbrellas.

Thus the movement now uses the umbrella as a symbol of their struggle to introduce democratic elections into Hong Kong.

In the month of May 2019 a new law was introduced in Hong Kong: they have to extradite people, who are accused of oppositional activity to the (corrupt) justice system of China. It is very likely that it would be very insecure to be in Hong Kong for people, who do not agree with the Chinese government.

A functioning democracy on Chinese ground, even though only in Hong Kong, is an extremely important symbol for the more than one billion living in mainland China.

Useful links:

Hong Kong free press:

Download the documents about Tiananmen 1989

Galschiot’s activities related to China

The democracy movement in Hong Kong:

HK Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China
E-mail: contact@alliance.org.hk, internet:

Phone: +852 2782 6111

Contact Jens Galschiot: E-mail: aidoh@aidoh.dk,

Internet: galschiot webside or To Galschot arkive webside

tel. +45 6618 4058 mobil 0045 40447058, Banevaenget 22, DK-5270 Odense N

newsletter about the case or this website

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About Jens Galschiøt:

Danish artist Jens Galschiøt has created many socio-critical sculptures and installations through the years. Most often they are placed in public spaces around the world – as needle-sticks and silent reminders of a world that, in his opinion, is out of balance, and where exploitation of the world’s resources, inequality and migration are a constant part of the picture.

General information about Galschiøt can be found at:

See Wikipedia:

Portrait of the sculptors CV (PDF)

To Gallery Galschiot

To Galschot arkive webside