Security was tight and access was restricted to Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on Tuesday, marking the 35th anniversary of the 4 June crackdown. Hong Kong increased policing as activists in Taiwan and other countries prepared to commemorate the event with vigils.
On 4 June, 1989, Chinese tanks rolled into Tiananmen Square before dawn to end weeks of pro-democracy demonstrations by students and workers. Iconic television images of a Chinese man in a white shirt standing in front of tanks spread worldwide. Decades later, activists establish that the demonstrators’ original goals, including a free press and freedom of speech, remain unfulfilled. The 4 June crackdown remains a taboo topic in China.
The ruling Communist Party of China has never released a death toll from the crackdown, though groups and witnesses believe the figure could run into the thousands.
Taiwan’s Response
Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te released a statement on Tuesday saying that “the memory of June 4th will not disappear in the torrent of history.” Lai, who was inaugurated last month as the leader of the island that China claims as its own, emphasized that Taiwan would “respond to authoritarianism with freedom.”
On the 35th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Incident, we commemorate the students & citizens who bravely marched for change. As #Taiwan deepens our commitment towards human rights, we firmly stand by the belief that the people only truly flourish with freedom & democracy. pic.twitter.com/1kZouffPwS
— 賴清德Lai Ching-te (@ChingteLai) June 4, 2024
Repressing freedom of speech cannot erase the past. Today, we honor those who bravely spoke out in #Tiananmen Square 35 years ago. #Taiwan🇹🇼 remains resolute in our commitment to defending freedom & democracy in the face of the global expansion of authoritarianism. pic.twitter.com/xUIVEnCztM
— 外交部 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROC (Taiwan) 🇹🇼 (@MOFA_Taiwan) June 4, 2024
Taiwan is the only part of the Chinese-speaking world where 4 June can be openly remembered. A commemoration event is planned in Taipei. Additional events are scheduled in countries such as Britain, Canada and the United States of America.
Security Measures
In Beijing, an official website for the Tiananmen Tower overlooking the square posted a notice stating it would be closed for the entire day. Time slots for visits to Tiananmen Square were unavailable on its official WeChat mini-app. Chang’an Avenue, the road lining the square, was closed to pedestrians and cyclists on Monday evening, according to eyewitness reports.
Small groups of “stability maintenance” volunteers (retirees with red armbands) have been monitoring neighbourhoods in central Beijing since last week. Guards have also been stationed on pedestrian bridges, a standard practice during politically sensitive periods.
On Chinese social media platforms, including WeChat and Douyin, users were unable to change their profile photos, as confirmed by online posts and Reuters tests.
“Thirty-five years have passed, and the authorities remain silent. All that can be seen on the internet is ‘A Concise History of the Communist Party of China,’ which says that a tragic incident was caused by the student movement in 1989,” wrote the Tiananmen Mothers, a group of over 100 mostly China-based survivors and families of the victims of the Tiananmen crackdown, “We cannot accept or tolerate such statements that ignore the facts.”
Hong Kong’s Response
In Hong Kong, police officers tightened security around downtown Victoria Park, where large candlelight vigils were held annually before stricter national security laws were enforced in recent years.
Performance artist Sanmu Chen was taken away by police on Monday night as he attempted a mime performance near a police van but was later released. Last Tuesday, Hong Kong police arrested six people for sedition under a new national security law enacted this year, reportedly due to online posts linked to 4 June. Two more individuals have been arrested since.
“There are still forces that attempt to undermine Hong Kong’s stability and security,” Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu told reporters on Tuesday without specifically mentioning 4 June. He emphasized the need to “be on guard all the time against attempts to cause trouble.”
Australia’s Reaction
Australia’s Foreign Minister Penelope Ying-Yen Wong highlighted the “brutal force” used against student protesters 35 years ago, expressing concern about China’s ongoing restrictions on individual rights. “We call on China to cease suppression of freedoms of expression, assembly, media and civil society and to release those detained for peacefully expressing their political views,” Wong stated.
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