Chinese political slogans appear on famous London street, and furious reaction leaves artist fearing for safety
A war of words has erupted after a student artist painted Chinese political slogans on a wall in Brick Lane, a famous street in London's East End.
The site, known for its curry houses and street art, and located about 4km east of 10 Downing Street, was painted with bold red Chinese characters extolling China's Communist Party ideology, the BBC reported.
The values, defined and pushed by the ruling CCP, included "prosperity", "patriotism", "harmony", "democracy", "equality", "freedom" and "the rule of law".
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Artists had painted 24 bold red characters in Brick Lane, then other people began to add their thoughts. AP
The red graffiti which echoes President Xi Jinping's government propaganda did not last long before it got covered up by an onslaught of anti-Beijing slogans.
Within hours, the slogans had been overlaid with references to the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, and phrases like "Free Taiwan", "Free Tibet" and "Free Uyghurs".
Other phrases painted over the graffiti, which had stretched for over 100 metres along Brick Lane, included "some are more equal than others", and "no freedom in China".
The graffiti also attracted heavy criticism on social networks.
Artist Yi Que, who first posted the slogan's Brick Lane appearance on social media, later published a statement after concerns for his family's safety and intense cyberbullying.
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"I hold no political stance. The work aimed to provoke discussions on diverse environments and people's attitudes towards them," the statement said.
He later told the BBC the reaction to his work had been more intense than he expected, explaining he had been doxed and his parents harassed.
"More and more people are using this subject for their own purposes and displaying maliciousness, this is not my intention," he said.
The local council removed both the pro- and anti-China graffiti on Monday morning.
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