Liu Xiaobo Statue Shifted After Legal Threat

A statue of the late Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo was on Tuesday shifted away from a spot outside a shopping mall in Causeway Bay after the firm which manages the public space threatened to take legal action against the activists who put it up.

The statue was erected outside Times Square last month ahead of the first anniversary of Liu's death, which falls on July 13.

The activists said Times Square, the firm which manages the area on behalf of the government, had wanted them to remove the statue by last Saturday, saying it was causing an inconvenience to pedestrians. The company also threatened legal action if the statue was not removed, the activists said.

The activists said the firm's decision was based on politics.

League of Social Democrats leader Leung Kwok-hung, who was among the group, rejected the management's claim that the statue was causing an inconvenience to the public, saying large scale events by some groups are allowed in the same area.

Leung told RTHK's Jimmy Choi that they are shifting the statue because they won’t be able to bear the legal costs if the company takes them to court.

The statue has been moved to the intersection of Paterson Street and Great George Street in Causeway Bay. Protesters hope it will be able to stay there till the anniversary of Liu's death.

Liu was thrown in prison by mainland authorities for co-authoring "Charter 08", a document circulated in 2008 that called for democracy.

He was still in custody when he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010. Beijing had slammed the decision as an affront to its political and legal systems.