The Goddess of Democracy statue at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) was taken down, while a relief sculpture was destroyed at Lingnan University.
The statue was promptly removed a day after Hong Kong University pulled down a famous monument commemorating the same event.
The destruction of the monuments follows after Beijing’s increased repression of political protest in Hong Kong.
The Goddess of Democracy monument was inspired by 1989 original, which was carried in Tiananmen Square just before authorities violently suppressed the protests.
Beijing’s Tiananmen Square became the scene of several protests in 1989 calling for expanded political rights. In July, troops invaded the plaza and opened fire on the protesters.
The Chinese government claims that around 200 innocent people and several dozen security personnel died. More recent estimates vary from hundreds to 10,000. CUHK said that “an unauthorized statue” had been removed.
The school at Lingnan University, where the relief sculpture had been removed, said that it “recently reviewed and assessed items on campus that may pose legal and safety risks” before removing them “in the interest of the university.”
At Lingnan University, a spray painting of what appeared to be the Goddess of Democracy was painted over.
Hong Kong formerly allowed public remembrances of the events surrounding June 4, 1989, which is still a sensitive issue in mainland China.
However, in 2020, the vigil was banned by Hong Kong authorities for the first time in 30 years, owing to Covid-19 regulatory limitations.
Pro-democracy demonstrators accused officials of bowing to pressure from the Chinese government to stifle pro-democracy speech.
Tens of thousands of people defied the ban to attend the vigil that night, tearing down barriers that had been set up around Victoria Park.
In October, nine pro-democracy Hong Kong activists were given sentences of six to ten months in jail after being found guilty of participating in the protest.
Last month, media magnate Jimmy Lai was sentenced to 13 months in jail for taking part in the same protest.
Last year, Beijing imposed a stringent national security law in Hong Kong that penalizes secession, subversion, and terrorism as well as collaboration with foreign powers.
Advocates of the law say it is being used to stifle civil society, jail democracy advocates, and limit fundamental rights.
