Controversial Chinese Propaganda Slogans Painted Over in London’s Brick Lane
A graffiti wall in London’s popular street art area, Brick Lane, has become a site of protest against China’s authoritarian rule. The wall was whitewashed and painted over with propaganda slogans promoting Chinese Communist Party ideology, causing outrage among local artists and parts of the Chinese expatriate community living in Britain.
The slogans, spray-painted by a group of young Chinese artists, consisted of 24 large Chinese characters outlining the country’s “core socialist values.” These values, such as prosperity, harmony, and patriotism, have different meanings and applications as defined by the Chinese Communist Party.
Supported by Chinese leader Xi Jinping, the slogans are commonly seen in China on posters, billboards, and state television. However, their appearance in east London shocked and angered locals, as the graffiti wiped out existing art, including a tribute to a deceased street artist.
The graffiti sparked a heated debate on social media, with some supporters arguing that the artists were exercising freedom of expression and exporting Chinese culture and values. On the other hand, critics accused them of destroying local street art and promoting Communist Party propaganda.
In response, the backlash was swift. New graffiti was overlayed on the slogans, criticizing Xi and the Chinese Communist Party. The new additions included phrases such as “no democracy” and “no freedom.” The messages also condemned the Chinese government’s actions in Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and Tibet, as well as the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.
However, by Monday morning, all the graffiti on the wall had been painted over in white by Tower Hamlets Council, the local authority responsible for the area. The council claimed it removed the graffiti in line with its “unwanted and illegal graffiti” policy but did not explain why only the China-related slogans were removed.
The erasure of the protest art did not go unnoticed. Visitors arrived at the site to take photos, and one anonymous Chinese person left a note and a bouquet of flowers in remembrance of the erased graffiti. Later in the day, a young man from Hong Kong arrived and painted a Milan Kundera quote in Chinese, stating, “The struggle of men against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting.”
The wall quickly filled up again with new signs, slogans, and posters about China, with people expressing their dissenting views against the Chinese Communist Party. Chinese activist Lyndon Li Shixiang, who is seeking asylum in the UK, described it as a great day that united those critical of China’s authoritarian rule.
The initial intent of the artists who stenciled the propaganda slogans remains unclear. Some debated whether it was an expression of support for the regime or a form of subversive political satire. The artists described themselves as “a group of free-spirited Chinese artists” who wanted to highlight the oppression of thought, press freedom, and free speech still prevalent in China.
However, the erasure of other artists’ work by the Chinese creators received significant criticism. Prominent Chinese-Australian dissident artist Badiucao argued that they showed little respect for others’ artistic expression and freedom of speech. He noted that graffiti artists typically follow established etiquette and unwritten rules within the street art community.
The controversy surrounding the wall led to the artists being cyber-bullied and receiving death threats. One artist, Yi Que, stated that he holds no political stance and expressed his love for his country. The wall was subsequently whitewashed again on Tuesday morning.
The ongoing debate surrounding the wall highlights the tension between artistic expression, freedom of speech, and political ideology in the context of China’s authoritarian rule.