University of Hong Kong to convert ‘Democracy Wall’ into digital display

The University of Hong Kong is transforming its "Democracy Wall" bulletin board into a digital display, according to media reports. The wall, once a prominent fixture outside the main library, has been empty for years and was recently boarded up. A notice on the boards read "sustainable campus, smarter billboards" and "coming soon."

The university plans to continue publishing information related to student life on the new digital display. The move comes after student union leaders stepped down in July 2021 following criticism from the Security Bureau over their pro-democracy statements. The university severed ties with the student union earlier that year, citing the need to enforce management rights and cut financial support.

This follows other landmarks of student activism, like the Pillar of Shame monument and a section of a bridge with Tiananmen crackdown slogans, which have also been removed or altered since the Beijing-imposed national security law took effect in June 2020.