Mainland Student Charged With Sedition for Planning to Display Pillar of Shame in Hong Kong

On June 3, 2023, Zhou Fengsuo posted on Twitter (known now as "X"), stating, "Zeng is innocent, I take full responsibility for Zeng Yuxuan's June 4th posters." Courtesy Zhou Fengsuo

A doctoral law student from mainland China has been charged with planning to display publicly a large “Pillar of Shame” banner in Hong Kong, and she has pleaded guilty to a charge of “attempting to commit or prepare to commit an act with seditious intent.” She appeared at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Court on Sept. 11 and will be sentenced by Judge Peter Law Tak-chuen the following day. The defendant remains in custody.

According to the case, the defendant, Zeng Yuxuan (23 years old), received a 9-meter (29.52 feet) by 3-meter (9.84 feet) banner showing the “Pillar of Shame” with the words “The Tiananmen Massacre June 4th, 1989; The old cannot kill the young forever” on its base, from mainland Chinese pro-democracy activist Zhou Fengsuo in May. On June 1, when the police searched her residence, they found a 1.5-meter (4.92 feet) by 0.6-meter (1.96 feet) “Pillar of Shame” banner hanging in her apartment.

Police also found a printed letter signed by the creator of the Pillar of Shame, Jens Galschiøt. The letter mentions the “plan to inform the media of any activities” and that the banner is meant to “remind everyone of the Tiananmen incident.”

The defendant’s phone records showed that she had contacted two media outlets, “Independent Media” and “Radio Free Asia,” and stated that she would display the banner on the circular pedestrian bridge on Yee Wo Street in Causeway Bay at 6:40 p.m. on June 4. She had also contacted Mr. Zhou, mentioning that she would be protesting the police “abduction” of the Pillar of Shame on June 4, and Mr. Zhou had reminded her to stay safe.

Ms. Zeng admitted to setting up a website in the name of Jens Galschiøt and initiating a campaign to display Pillar of Shame banners worldwide. The goal was to protest the Hong Kong police’s “kidnapping” of Hong Kong’s Pillar of Shame, believing that the seizure of this symbol of freedom would only lead to greater resistance.

The charge alleges that between May 8, 2023, and June 1, 2023, Ms. Zeng, together with a person named “Zhou Fengsuo” and others, attempted to commit or prepare to commit one or more acts with seditious intent in Hong Kong.

On June 3, Mr. Zhou posted on Twitter (now as “X”), stating, “Zeng is innocent, I take full responsibility for Zeng Yuxuan’s June 4th posters.” He mentioned that “she had obtained the June 4th commemorative posters with the theme of the ‘Pillar of Shame’ from him although she was aware of the risks. Unfortunately, the posters were discovered by the police during her arrest.”

Charge Related to Mourning Leung Kin-fai to be Withdrawn

The defense argued that the Tiananmen massacre, commonly known as the “June 4th Incident,” was widely known. Since the banner content contained no seditious elements, inciting citizens would not be easy. They hoped that the court would take freedom of speech into consideration when sentencing the defendant. In the defendant’s plea, she said that inciting hatred had never been her sole or primary intention.

Ms. Zeng is also charged with attempting to commit or preparing to commit an act with seditious intent in connection with the commemoration of the late Leung Kin-fai, a victim of the 2021 “July 1 Stabbing Case” in Causeway Bay. However, under the prosecution and defense agreement, this charge will be withdrawn after Zeng pleads guilty.

Case reference: WKCC2389/2023