2010's

2014

In the middle of the night on the 16th of November, 2014, the wall was repainted in white with the words “The Wall Is Over”, (which paraphrases John Lennon’s “War is over”).

This action caused widespread public outrage, media coverage and a lawsuit against the unknown perpetrators. Not soon after, a group of art students came forward and explained that it was supposed to be representative of the wall taking on a clean slate, as to them it was losing its original meaning. The clean white space was also to signify giving a free space to the current generation. They did this in reference to the 25th anniversary of the Berlin Wall falling, and the liberation that came with it. After this explanation the charges were dropped and by the end of the year the wall was already fully covered with new writings and drawings.

Photo credit: Lennonwall.aauni.edu

In 2014,

the John Lennon Wall became a major inspiration for the rebellions in Hong Kong, as different walls with a likeness were popping up in other countries. This idea of a designated space acts as a place for citizens to voice their complaints and to try to create change.

Photo credit: SCP-2000, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

In March 2019,

the wall was painted to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the end of the communist holdings. In April, people from the Extinction Rebellion, in protest of climate change painted over the wall.

In the summer of 2019

there was a struggle on the wall between Pro-Beijing and Hong Kong due to the 70th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China. It was then repainted.