'Rights and freedoms are not absolute': HK govt after universities tore down Tiananmen Massacre monuments

After local universities tore down Tiananmen Massacre monuments, the Hong Kong government has said that "rights and freedoms are not absolute".

Workers at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) removed the Tiananmen Massacre statue, widely known as the Pillar of Shame, on Wednesday, months after the university had said the statue must go, Hong Kong Free Press reported.

This monument was created by a Danish artist in memory of those killed in the Tiananmen Square crackdown in Beijing in 1989.

The Chinese University removed the Tiananmen Massacre Goddess of Democracy statue the next day, claiming its erection in 2010 was "unauthorised."

Meanwhile, Lingnan University removed a relief dedicated to the June 4 crackdown citing legal and safety concerns.

Responding to HKFP as to whether it backed the universities' move, a government spokesperson declined to comment on individual cases, but said: "Various rights and freedoms are guaranteed under the Basic Law. However, these rights and freedoms are not absolute. In particular, any person exercising the right to freedom of expression or the right of peaceful assembly should respect the rights of others, and should not compromise public order and public safety, etc., while doing so."

( With inputs from ANI )

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