By Sara Cheng

HONG KONG, (Reuters) – Two additional universities in Hong Kong removed public monuments commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen demonstrations in Beijing. This follows the removal of a statue that marked the victims of the crackdown earlier this week.

According to photos posted online, a statue of the “Goddess of Democracy”, holding a flame from Hong Kong’s Chinese University was removed by workers just before sunrise.

According to the university, it stated in a statement that “unauthorized statue” was taken out.

It read, “Following an intern assessment and as the campus manager, CUHK has taken down the statue.”

Lingnan University in Hong Kong also removed a Tiananmen-style wall relief statue. This also contained a portrayal of the “Goddess of Democracy”, local media reported.

Contrary to mainland China where Chinese authorities prohibit any public memorials of the June 4th, Hong Kong was previously allowed to commemorate such events.

Hong Kong, which was under British rule until 1997, fell under Chinese occupation. China promised Hong Kong wide autonomy and freedoms in an arrangement called “one nation, two systems”.

This week the University of Hong Kong took down an eight-metre high “pillar of Shame” statue on its campus. It had been there for over two decades and was meant to commemorate pro-democracy protesters that were murdered in China’s Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989.

Hong Kong authorities have been tightening their grip on the area under China’s national security law. Human rights activists claim that this is used to crush civil society and jail democratic campaigners, as well as curb fundamental freedoms.

The security laws in Hong Kong and China have been praised by the authorities of both countries. They also claim that they restored order after massive protests in 2019.