Hundreds dead 34 years ago
Activists arrested in Hong Kong for commemorating massacre
6/4/2023 8:56 am
Hundreds of people are killed when the People’s Liberation Army used violence against demonstrators in Beijing in 1989. The massacre is still a taboo subject in China today. Anyone who commemorates publicly gets in trouble with the police – as is the case in Hong Kong.
On the anniversary of the bloody crackdown on the pro-democracy movement in China this Sunday, police in Hong Kong arrested several activists who wanted to commemorate the dark chapter in Chinese history. According to the police, eight people were arrested on Saturday alone for “seditious actions” or disruption of public order. Public commemoration was not allowed in the Chinese Special Administrative Region. The police warned of “illegal actions”.
As of 2019, tens of thousands had still gathered in Hong Kong for a candlelight service on the anniversary to commemorate the victims of the June 4, 1989 massacre. But the leadership in Beijing has tightened its control over the former British crown colony, which has actually been administered autonomously since it was returned to China in 1997. The opposition has been persecuted since 2020 with vaguely formulated security laws that open up far-reaching scope for repression.
“Mothers of Tian’anmen” demand compensation
In the People’s Republic, a public commemoration of the victims has never been allowed anyway. Rather, civil rights activists and relatives were often placed under house arrest or taken to other locations. Ahead of the anniversary, the “Mothers of Tian’anmen” – an association of the families of the victims – issued an appeal demanding that they learn the truth about the military operation, receive compensation and that those responsible be held accountable.
Hundreds of people were killed when the People’s Liberation Army used violence against peaceful demonstrators around Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The exact number is not known to this day. Thousands were injured and imprisoned. The massacre is still a taboo subject in China 34 years later.
Taiwan’s government called on the Chinese Communist Party to reflect on the lessons of cracking down on the pro-democracy movement. President Tsai Ing-wen expressed the hope that one day young people in China will be free to speak their minds without fear. A memorial service was planned for Sunday evening in Taipei, the capital of the democratic island republic. China claims the island for itself and is aiming for reunification, if necessary by force.