"A strong signal to China": Model of the "Pillar of Shame," a memorial to the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, was unveiled outside the European Parliament in Brussels - eviltoast
‘Pillar of Shame’ Tiananmen memorial erected outside European Parliament | CNN
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A model of the “Pillar of Shame,” which was controversially removed from a Hong Kong university in 2021, has gone on display in front of the European Parliament in Brussels.

Depicting a heap of contorted bodies and screaming faces, the statue was unveiled Tuesday as part of an exhibition of “forbidden art” that organizers said had been censored or “deemed subversive” by Hong Kong and mainland China.

The exhibition was hosted by Jens Galschiøt, the Danish artist behind the famous sculpture, and Kira Marie Peter-Hansen, a member of the European Parliament (MEP). A further six MEPs, including representatives from each of the parliament’s five largest political coalitions, were listed as co-hosts.

  • germanatlas@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
    268·
    8 months ago

    In theory yes, in practice we should then also cut ties with every other nation that committed a massacre or oppressed its population, which… checks notes… would be almost every nation.

    Why not Turkey for the Armenian Genocide, why not Australia for the treatment of aboriginal people, why not the USA and Canada for the treatment of indigenous people? Why not Great Britain for conquering half of the planet and enslaving people?

    • TheGrandNagus@lemmy.worldEnglish
      353·
      8 months ago

      There’s a bit of a difference between the likes of Britain, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, etc, who committed atrocities primarily in the days of colonialsm and have since drastically changed — they’ve acknowledged what they’ve done, and to my knowledge apologised for it — and China.

      China hasn’t become less authoritarian since the massacre, doesn’t acknowledge it even happened, and certainly hasn’t apologised. The sad truth is, they’d likely do it all over again. Because they’re just as bad now as they were then.

      I hate the “but whatabout…” whenever someone calls out China on murdering their civilians and even committing an ongoing genocide.

      If you actually think China and nations such as Britain, Canada, France, Spain, Germany, etc are the same, you frankly need to get your head examined.

    • Vilian@lemmy.caEnglish
      112·
      8 months ago

      why not cut ties because of the people in power? people in power today are not the ones that made these crimes, except china

      • germanatlas@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
        101·
        8 months ago

        And also excepting Israel, Kongo, Russia, UAE, Myanmar, Saudi Arabia, South Sudan and still the USA.

        And on a side note Xi Jinping, the man in power today, didn’t do the TS massacre, he came to power in 2012

          • germanatlas@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
            1·
            8 months ago

            These were just in the front of my mind at that moment and while it would be morally good if we could flip the finger to them, it would be really stupid. Just losing Russian gas already caused an energy crisis and inflation, completely refusing middle eastern oil, Congolese Cobalt, Copper, Silver, Gold, Diamonds, Uranium etc and the general relations with the USA, a close ally and country with the probably biggest military would not just be crisis-inducing, it would be economical and political suicide.