Protest Statue To Be Removed From Clothing Store

The owner of a children's clothing shop has decided to remove a protest statue from his Tuen Mun store.

Herbert Chow said he didn't have the resources to enter a legal battle with the developer, who was against the presence of the statue honouring anti-government demonstrators.

The Sino Group, which operates the Tuen Mun Town Plaza, was seeking a court order to remove the half-a-metre-tall "Lady Liberty" statute from a Chickeeduck store in the mall.

The two sides reached an out-of-court settlement.

Chow pointed out that it's not against the law to erect the statue, and he accused Sino Land of citing what he called a vague clause in the lease to demand its removal.

Chow made the headlines after putting up the statue in his store at the Discovery Park mall in Tsuen Wan in June, and he turned down a request from the landlord to remove it. He then decided not to renew the lease there and moved the statue to the Tuen Mun store.

Chow had said the Tsuen Wan outlet became his best-performing store, and denied what he did was a stunt. He insisted it was a meaningful way to mark Father's Day.

The statue in question depicts a female protester donning a helmet and gas mask, and carrying an umbrella and flag pole.