Lennon wall at Australia’s University of Queensland

The University of Queensland has promised to take action after a pro-Hong Kong Lennon wall on its campus changed into torn down on Monday night time through four masked guys. The colorful protest wall – just like the ones around Hong Kong and the relaxation of the sector – had attracted hundreds of notes calling for democracy and harmony with Hong Kong and opposing the totalitarianism of the Chinese government.

Two weeks in the past pro-Beijing authorities protesters clashed violently with Hong Kong global college students on the university’s Brisbane campus, punching and shoving. Lennon partitions inspired by utilizing a wall in Prague that Nineteen Eighties activists embellished with Beatles quotes have ended up a famous form of protest in opposition to Hong Kong’s debatable extradition invoice. The first Hong Kong Lennon wall was created at some stage in 2014’s umbrella movement. They have spread this 12 months broadly, including to Australian campuses.

At UQ, Hong Kong college students created a colorful wall on Friday, with messages along with: “Stand with Hong Kong. Protect freedom of speech.” Jack Yiu, a Hong Kong global pupil concerned about campus protests, informed Guardian Australia that masked people had torn down the posters.

“We had a person see it around 11 pm, and it changed into excellent,” he stated. “We got reports around the middle of the night that 4 men in mask got here and just tore the whole thing apart. We have them in the pictures. The CCTV was given to them. We are seeking to figure out who did that – even whether they may be college students or now not.” A UQ spokeswoman said if any of the guys have been recognized and related to the college, it might take “appropriate movement.” It would also grow safety around the wall.

“The college does now not condone any movements that prevent free speech, together with the focused on of the Lennon wall within the student union complex overnight,” she said. “The UQ Union has CCTV pictures in their premises and has supplied it to the university.” Police were notified, and safety patrols might be stepped up.
You stated as many as 100 students had contributed messages. “We kept solving it and placing more stuff on it. It became larger and prettier – absolutely everyone’s effort and time.

“Everyone is free to put up a sticky note. Even a few Chinese college students put up some counter-critiques on it, and we are first-rate with that. Everyone is unfastened to explicit their reviews – don’t tear whatever down. You’re not purported to silence us or get rid of debate.” By Tuesday, students had again to re-decorate the wall, and Yiu said the men’s movement was now not in all likelihood to dampen their protests. “We gained’t stand down due to violence and people’s movements towards us. We’re simply expressing our guide to Hong Kong about democracy and freedom of speech.”

Tension has additionally flared around different Lennon walls on Australian university campuses. According to the ABC at the University of Tasmania, a group of workers needed to intrude on Tuesday to prevent students from tearing down pro-Hong Kong posters. A comparable incident happened the ultimate week.

At the Australian National University in Canberra, students have been instructed in an email from the acting vice-chancellor that Hong Kong and Chinese students had agreed to break up a wall and limit their posters to separate aspects. The appearing vice-chancellor, Prof Mike Calford, said students from each side had agreed to modify the content material of their postings “to avoid offensive, irrelevant and disrespectful cloth” and to put up signs encouraging others to behave the equal way.