Orange human rights group

expelled from Hong Kong

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Press release 30 April 2008

Orange human rights group expelled from Hong Kong

In spite of the expulsion the democracy movement

 will already today paint The Pillar of Shame Orange.

Already in the Hong Kong airport three Danes were detained and had their mobile phones confiscated. After six hours of questioning they were escorted to a plane by armed security and sent back to Europe. Despite persistent requests the Danish group could not get any justification of the denial of access.

The case has caused a great deal of media attention in Hong Kong. The Danish and French Consul Generals as well as the EU representatives in Hong Kong have been involved in the complaint against the expulsion.

The Danish artist Jens Galschiot and his co-workers were invited to Hong Kong by the Chinese Democracy Movement to paint a symbol of the Tiananmen-massacre, the eight meter tall “Pillar of Shame”, orange and to participate in Human Rights activities in relation to the Olympic Torch’ relay on Chinese ground on 2nd May.

The activities in Hong Kong should have put focus on the use of the color orange as a peaceful denunciation of the Human Rights abuses in China. By wearing orange clothe, an orange pen etc. the contestants at the Olympic Games send a signal to the world that they know something is not right about the Human Rights in the country. “This is the only way tha sports people, journalists etc. can express criticism against China, without being disqualified or expelled from the Olympic Games. China cannot prohibit the color orange and by we check mate China in its efforts to avoid statements about Human Rights in front of the cameras that cover the sport events in Beijing 2008” says the artist, whose Orange campaign has been launched in cooperation with the Democracy Movement of China.

The Human Right sculpture in Hong Kong will be painted orange anyway on 30th April 11am – 3pm by the Democracy Movement and the Chinese students, who will then have to be without the participation of the Danish ColorOrange team and Galschiot who is the artist who originally made the sculpture.

On Monday 28th April, a demonstration was made in front of the government offices in Hong Kong, by the Democracy movement and several MPs to protest against the fact that the three Danes from www.thecolororange.net project could not enter Hong Kong. They argued that the Danes had been in Hong Kong before without any problems and that it is the Chinese government which has interfered in the internal affairs of Hong Kong, thereby trying to transfer the limited freedom of speech from mainland China to Hong Kong. In relations to the demonstration they proclaimed that they would send an official complaint to the Hong Kong authorities.

The Danish artist is also preparing a complaint that they were almost treated like criminals and that according to ‘good’ Chinese tradition their lawyer, Albert Ho, was denied access to the airport.

TheColorOrange.net is just now sending requests to their supporters all over the world, to make pieces of orange cloth and tie them on to sculptures all over the cities where they live, and thereby manifest the use of orange and give moral support to the Chinese democracy fighters.

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The main international news agencies have vastly covered the events and can provide features, photos, videos, etc.

More detailed information, photos, videos about the Orange activities in HK: http://www.TheColorOrange.net/uk/page144

Contact to TheColorOrange in Denmark:

Jens Galschiot, Banevaenget 22, DK-5270 Odense N, tel. +45 6618 4058, evening +45 6614 4038

mobile +45 4044 7058, E-mail: contact@TheColorOrange.net, WWW.TheColorOrange.net

Contact to Danish Orange photographer in Hong Kong:

Niller Madsen, TV Documentary: +45 40 215 415

For information about the activities in HK contact the Hongkong Alliance (the democracy movement in Hong Kong):

Secretary Ocean Fung +852 2782 6111

E-mail contact@alliance.org.hk, internet www.alliance.org.hk

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