Chinese political slogans appear on London street art wall.
Brick Lane in London has become a talking point after one of its walls was covered in slogans extolling Chinese Communist Party ideology.
A group of people spray painted the large red Chinese characters on a white background over the weekend, according to online videos.
Some of the most common political slogans under President Xi Jinping’s rule are the “core socialist values,” which are made up of 12 two-character words.
In China, political propaganda in the form of red-block characters on a white wall is a common sight.
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Chinese political slogans
The slogans on Brick Lane have sparked an online debate about whether they qualify as street art and how freedom of expression and political propaganda interact.
The wall has also become a stage for competing narratives, with new graffiti criticizing the Chinese government appearing quickly.
Some added “no” in front of the words, while others posted other messages or images criticising the spray-painted words. One image depicts an £800 fine issued on Saturday for “graffiti & flyposting” offences.
Others were upset that the slogans obscured older works, including a tribute to a deceased well-known street artist.
Prosperity, democracy, civility, harmony, freedom, equality, justice, the rule of law, patriotism, dedication, integrity, and friendship are among the socialist slogans first revealed by President Xi’s predecessor Hu Jintao in 2012.
Although the slogans have attracted negative comments, it’s not clear if the people who painted them were being serious or ironic.
Wang Hanzheng, one of the creators who also goes by the name Yi Que for his artworks, claimed the piece “didn’t have much political meaning”.
In an Instagram photo post, Mr Wang wrote in Chinese saying the group used the political elements as a coat “to discuss different environments”.
“In the name of freedom and democracy, it illustrates the cultural centre of the West, this is London’s freedom… Decolonize the false freedom of the West with the construction of socialism, let’s see what happens,” the post reads.
Mr Wang told the BBC “there is no question” that the 24 characters are “not only goals of China, but common goals for the world”.
Images of the wall elicited strong reactions on social media from Chinese speakers.
Many people in China, mostly those who support the government, argued that what happened in Brick Lane was free expression and should be protected. Some people were proud of this type of “cultural export.”
However, some nationalists questioned whether it was a type of “high-level black,” a term frequently used by state media and social media users to describe people who use veiled language to criticize and satirize the Communist Party regime.
As Chinese political slogans appear on London street art wall, the work has received widespread criticism outside of China.
“Obstructing freedom of speech is not a part of freedom of speech. The jargons you used cannot justify your brutal destruction of other people’s art,” a top-liked comment under Mr Wang’s Instagram post reads.
“Do you dare to go to Beijing and write about democracy and freedom? If you dare, the home country you love will dare to arrest you,” another top comment wrote.
Mr Wang admitted the reaction had been more intense than he expected. He told the BBC 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 added.
Comments under his Instagram post of the work were no longer visible on Monday morning.
“This piece is not finished yet,” wrote another creator Gino Huang on Instagram.
“Like any other graffiti, being covered and discussed will be this wall’s final ending. We wish it… to turn into a part of this neighbourhood that can be seen every day when people pass it by, and to be included into a bigger narrative.”
