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Press Conference Sept. 10 - 15:00-15:35 Denmark time / 21:00-21:35 Taiwan & Hong Kong time
In Person: Gallery Galschiøt, Odense, Denmark
Online Participation: meet.google.com/uth-nnyg-biv
Background /Documents / contact / media : Scroll down
Memory Cannot Be Confiscated: Return the Pillar of Shame
On Friday, the Hong Kong Democratic Alliance will be sentenced for the “crime” of washing the Pillar of Shame, while the judge decides whether the world-famous statue will be destroyed or returned to artist Jens Galschiøt
- In response, Galschiøt and Taiwanese human rights advocates will hold an international press conference
SPEAKERS (contact info scroll down)
Danish artist Jens Galschiøt, the Taiwan-based New School for Democracy and Loretta Lau, founder of The Hague-based human rights arts organisation NGO DEI, will jointly hold an international press conference at Gallery Galschiøt on 10 September 2026 under the title “Memory Cannot Be Confiscated: Return the Pillar of Shame.”
The press conference will respond to the latest judgment in the national security case against the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, as well as the Hong Kong prosecution's application to forfeit the Pillar of Shame.
On 21 August 2026, Hong Kong's Court of First Instance convicted the now-disbanded Hong Kong Alliance, Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung of “incitement to subversion.” Albert Ho had previously pleaded guilty to the same charge. Mitigation proceedings concluded on 28 August. Lee, Ho and Chow could each face a maximum sentence of ten years' imprisonment.
Following the mitigation proceedings, the Hong Kong Department of Justice sought the forfeiture of exhibits including books and display panels seized from the June 4th Museum, as well as the Pillar of Shame.
The prosecution alleged that the Hong Kong Alliance had used annual ceremonies to wash the Pillar of Shame as occasions to promote the call to “end one-party dictatorship.” It therefore described the sculpture, which commemorates the victims of the June Fourth crackdown, as a tool used in the commission of the alleged offence.
Chow Hang-tung opposed the forfeiture request. She told the court that the Pillar of Shame belongs to Danish artist Jens Galschiøt and was not the property of the Hong Kong Alliance. She also argued that the national security case should not be used to confiscate all historical records relating to June Fourth.
The judges themselves questioned whether the sculpture's appearance in video evidence was sufficient to treat it as an instrument connected to the alleged offence. The court has not yet decided the final fate of the Pillar of Shame.
The eight-metre-high Pillar of Shame was created by Jens Galschiøt to commemorate those killed during the Chinese government's crackdown on the pro-democracy movement in Beijing in June 1989.
The sculpture was first publicly displayed in Hong Kong in 1997 and subsequently stood on the campus of the University of Hong Kong for more than two decades. It became an important symbol of Hong Kong's annual June Fourth commemorations and of the city's determination to preserve historical memory.
The University of Hong Kong removed the sculpture during the night in December 2021. In 2023, Hong Kong's national security police seized it in connection with the case against the Hong Kong Alliance.
THREE JOINT DEMANDS1.Reject the forfeiture application and return the Pillar of Shame immediatelyThe Hong Kong court must reject the prosecution's application to forfeit the Pillar of Shame. The sculpture must be preserved intact while arrangements for its return are finalised and must be handed over to Jens Galschiøt or his formally authorised representative.
Before transportation, the artist or an independent professional must be allowed to inspect the sculpture and verify that it has not been damaged.
2.End the use of national security laws to suppress the memory of June FourthThe Hong Kong government must stop treating peaceful commemoration, historical research, artistic expression and human rights advocacy as threats to national security.
The politically motivated prosecutions of members of the Hong Kong Alliance must be withdrawn, and Lee Cheuk-yan, Albert Ho and Chow Hang-tung must be released immediately.
3.Call on the international community to protect human rights artworks and historical memoryWe call on the Danish government, the European Union, governments around the world, international human rights organisations and cultural institutions to publicly monitor the fate of the Pillar of Shame.
They must urge the Hong Kong government to safeguard the sculpture and respect private property rights and freedom of artistic expression.
FOLLOWING THE PRESS CONFERENCEFollowing the press conference, the organisers will hold the “IMAGINATION TAIWAN” art workshop presentation and Taiwanese food exchange at 16:00 on the same day.
Artists from Taiwan will present works exploring human rights, democracy, Taiwanese identity and personal experience, continuing the artistic and civil society exchange between Taiwan and Denmark.
An artwork can be removed. Those who protect memory can be imprisoned. But history cannot be confiscated.
“The old cannot kill the young forever.”
PRESS CONTACTSLoretta Lau: +44 7923 951278 - loretta.lau@ngodei.org - Leader of NGO Dei, and active with the Bring Back the Pillar campaign
Online participation: meet.google.com/uth-nnyg-bivOverview about Pillar of Shame, ownership and communication
Claim of ownership and request for return
· 2026.08.30 LETTER TO DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
https://galschiot.com/dk/vaerker/skamstoetten/2021-skamst-tten-i-hongkong/2026.08.30%20-%20Letter%20to%20DOJ%20Department%20of%20Justice%20-%20Signed.pdf · 2026.08.28 LETTER TO COURT OF FIRST INSTANCE OF THE HIGH COURT OF THE HONG KONG SAR-Signed
https://galschiot.com/dk/vaerker/skamstoetten/2021-skamst-tten-i-hongkong/2026.08.28%20Letter%20to%20Court%20of%20First%20Instance%20of%20the%20High%20Court%20of%20the%20Hong%20Kong%20SAR-Signed.pdf · 2026.08.28 LETTER TO THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG - SIGNED- https://galschiot.com/dk/vaerker/skamstoetten/2021-skamst-tten-i-hongkong/2026.08.28%20Letter%20to%20the%20University%20of%20Hong%20Kong%20-%20signed-.pdf
Proof of ownership and support letter by EU Parliament
Correspondence about the Pillar of Shame
Photos - for free use:
Background and photos from EU exhibition, where MEPs requested to get the pillar back. https://www.galschiot.com/en/work/2024eu_pillar
Press Release, August 28, 2026. Hong Kong May Destroy the 8-Meter-High "Pillar of Shame" Dear Hong Kong List
A critical development has just unfolded regarding the "Pillar of Shame."
The trial against the leaders of the Hong Kong democracy movement has concluded, and all parties are now awaiting the final sentencing, which is expected within the next two weeks.
With the trial now over, an intense legal dispute has arisen over the fate of the court evidence—and this is exactly why the "Pillar of Shame" is now in grave danger.
The Hong Kong prosecution is demanding that all evidence be permanently destroyed. This demand is being maintained despite the fact that the sculpture is indisputably the private property of Danish artist Jens Galschiøt. In contrast, the defense arguments insist that the sculpture must be released and returned to its rightful owner.
Jens Galschiøt has submitted an official response to the Hong Kong court demanding the release of the sculpture. The application is backed by solid documentation proving his ownership. Furthermore, Galschiøt has submitted document of support from EU Parlamentarians, with a demoand to return of the "Pillar of Shame," alongside other key legal documents.
Jens Galschiøt has chosen not to travel to Hong Kong at this time to avoid disrupting the ongoing legal proceedings regarding the release. His clear expectation is that Hong Kong will honor its international obligations regarding private property rights, allowing the sculpture to be released and safely transported back to his workshop in Denmark.
If the sculpture, contrary to expectations, is not released, the court will send a chilling signal to the international community: that the Hong Kong authorities will completely ignore private property rights in the future—even for foreign nationals.
This implies that anyone possessing or exhibiting a China-critical artwork in Hong Kong is at real risk of having it confiscated and destroyed by the state.
More information and background material can be found on Galschiøt's website: www.galschiot.com
Contact Jens Galschiøt:
PRESS CONTACT
Jens Galschiøt
Phone / WhatsApp / Signal: +45 4044 7058 Phone /Whatsapp +45 6170 3083
Email: Jens@ galschiot.com |
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