A cake depicting the ongoing Hong Kong pro-democracy protests was disqualified from a cake decorating competition in Birmingham over the weekend, in a controversial move that sparked cries of political censorship.

The entry from the 3rd Space café in Hong Kong recreated many symbols synonymous with the five-month protest, including umbrellas, a Guy Fawkes mask, yellow helmets, and dry ice to depict tear gas smoke.

However, in an Instagram post, the café claimed that it had been told it was barred from the competition because “the content and message behind the cake has been viewed as offensive and led to complaints from attendees.”

Cake International, the organiser, which describes itself as “an inclusive platform” acknowledged that the entry had been removed, but said on its Facebook page that the “difficult decision” was prompted by “complaints about its content with some threatening to damage the piece.”

It added that “we have judged this entry based on the cake decorating skills and not the subject matter” and claimed that the cake was oversized.