Speech to the LegCo, 2 June 2009

on the occasion of the donation of

the sculpture Fragments of a Democracy Story

MP Ms Cyd HO Sau-lan received the sculpture

I should have been making this statement, but as you all know, I was denied entry into Hong Kong. Instead, my sons must serve as my messengers.

Many of you might be wondering how I choose to donate an expensive sculpture to the Hong Kong Legislative Council, even though the Hong Kong authorities have, on two occasions, unreasonably denied me entrance into Hong Kong. But first of all I am not a person, who gives up, and secondly my gift is more a matter of principle, and an expulsion should not stand in the way of this.

One can ask with what rights a Danish artist interferes with the internal affairs of Hong Kong and China.

- I believe that this planet is populated by equal people. No matter what part of the world we live in, we are all human beings and therefore we have a kinship and responsibility towards one another.

- Based on this, I feel entitled to participate in and support the development for good and just societies everywhere on the planet, and I hope my Chinese friends feel the same way, and want to help support the development of good and just societies in my part of the world, that is Europe, where compassion towards refugees and immigrants is under great pressure.

In Hong Kong, a process has been started; that is to make LegCo a fully democratic parliament, meaning 100% elected by the people. I hope this will succeed, so LegCo will live up to the best democratic ideals as the highest publicly elected authorities. Not only formally but first and foremost in practice.

My reason for donating my sculpture to the parliamentarian institution of Hong Kong, is that I believe that it is important this specific institution has a memorial of the massacre of the students of the Tiananmen Square on 4^th June 1989.

Especially a democratic institution on Chinese soil should send a signal to the rest of the world that they have the courage to remember and honor the events surrounding Beijing 1989.

I hope that the parliament in connection to the commemoration of the 20^th anniversary of the massacre will accept this donation, and will find a place for it in the parliament building.

The sculpture is made of copper and inspired by the sculpture The Pillar of Shame which has been erected on the Hong Kong U as a memorial of the Tiananmen massacre.

The orange paint symbolizes the wish for an improvement of human rights in China.

With the hopes of one day again being allowed entry into Hong Kong,

Sincerely,

Jens Galschiot