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American Military News
a day ago
- Politics
- American Military News
Tiananmen Mothers face blackout as China tries to silence memory of June 4 crackdown
This article was originally published by Radio Free Asia and is reprinted with permission. On the 36th anniversary of the Tiananmen massacre, families of victims held an annual memorial at a Beijing cemetery even as authorities left them incommunicado amid a tightening grip by China on commemorations of the 1989 crackdown against pro-democracy protesters. For the first time, authorities banned the members of the Tiananmen Mothers group from carrying mobile phones and cameras as they gathered at the Wan'an cemetery, severing their contact with the outside world. But the elderly mothers still laid flowers for their loved ones who were killed in the June 4, 1989, crackdown, Radio Free Asia learned. 'This year, the authorities are more sensitive to the June 4 incident than ever before,' said Li, a former reporter at the state-run People's Daily who witnessed the 1989 incident. Like other sources in this article, he requested anonymity for safety reasons. 'The Tiananmen Mothers' memorial service is the most basic expression of humanity, but it is regarded as a political act,' Li added. Another source confirmed to RFA that the memorial proceeded under heavy surveillance on Wednesday. A group of family members visit the cemetery every year, despite China's ban on public commemoration of June 4. 'Several elderly mothers walked into the cemetery silently, holding white chrysanthemums in their hands, and laid flowers in front of their relatives' graves,' said the source, who observed the scene at the cemetery. 'There were plainclothes officers patrolling the gate and the surrounding area, and parking was prohibited on the roadside,' the source said. On the evening of June 3, National Security Bureau agents warned participants against bringing phones or cameras, demanding 'civilized mourning,' the source added. RFA could not reach Tiananmen Mothers representatives on Wednesday, and attempts to contact their relatives, human rights lawyers, and scholars who follow the group also yielded no response. Nor could RFA reach the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau office to seek comment. On May 31, the Tiananmen Mothers issued an open letter signed by 108 relatives of victims. In it, they reiterated their long-held demands from the ruling communist party: investigate the incident without bias, publicize records of the incident with names of the victims and compensate their families, and prosecute those responsible. 'For 36 years, we have repeatedly sought dialogue with authorities, but we have only been monitored and suppressed,' 88-year-old Zhang Xianling, one of the founding members of the group, said in a recent video, her voice breaking with emotion as she spoke. Zhang's son Wang Nan was shot dead at the intersection of Beijing's Nanchang Street and Chang'an Avenue in the early hours of June 4, 1989. He was 19 at the time. Estimates of the death toll from the Tiananmen massacre have ranged from a few hundred to several thousands. In 2009, the Tiananmen Mothers published a detailed map showing where some of the victims died. The Chinese government, however, has never made public the actual number of those who died or were injured. In the days leading up to and on the June 4 anniversary, Chinese authorities imposed strict digital censorship measures. In early June, users of Tencent's mobile game 'Golden Spatula Wars' found their WeChat profile pictures were uniformly changed to green penguins, with the ability to modify avatars disabled. 'Penguins were originally a symbol of entertainment, but now they have become a mask of censorship,' wrote one user on X. On June 4, all WeChat users, as well as users of other Tencent platforms, found they couldn't modify their profile pictures. Tencent attributed the restrictions to 'purifying the online environment during the college entrance examination period,' but netizens questioned whether this represented another form of political censorship. Every year around the anniversary, Chinese social media platforms block keywords such as 'square,' 'tank,' and '8964.' 'June 4' is also a banned online search term, while any social media posts related to the incident are immediately deleted, with accounts that post such content facing suspension. Human rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang was ordered by Chinese police on Wednesday to delete his commemorative post on X. Meanwhile, the embassies of Germany, Britain, Canada and other countries in China posted commemorative messages on Weibo, triggering a large number of comment deletions. The British Embassy uploaded photos and cartoon videos of 'Tank Man' – the iconic image of a lone protester facing down tanks at Tiananmen Square. Tight security was imposed at Hong Kong's Causeway Bay and Victoria Park. These used to be sites of annual candlelight vigils and memorials but the gatherings have stopped since Beijing tightened its grip over the once semi-autonomous territory. Armored vehicles and a large number of security personnel were deployed to the two sites on Wednesday morning, two sources said. By noon, several people who were suspected to be marking the anniversary of the Tiananmen massacre were taken away, including an elderly woman and two middle school girls holding white flowers, sources said. Another man who was seated silently at Victoria Park with his eyes shut and holding a white electronic candle was also taken away by police officers, they added. Hong Kong police also inspected several 'yellow economic circle' themed businesses. The color yellow has been associated with the democratic cause since the 2014 umbrella mass protest movement in the city. Pro-government and pro-police views are described as 'blue.' The consulates of several countries in Hong Kong, including Britain and Canada, posted photos of a candlelight and messages to not forget the June 4 incident. The U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong also posted U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's message marking the anniversary. 'Today we commemorate the bravery of the Chinese people who were killed as they tried to exercise their fundamental freedoms, as well as those who continue to suffer persecution as they seek accountability and justice for the events of June 4, 1989,' Rubio said. 'The CCP actively tries to censor the facts, but the world will never forget,' Rubio said, referring to the Chinese Communist Party. Like Rubio, Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, in posts on X and Facebook, praised the courage of the Chinese students who participated in the 1989 pro-democracy protests, saying their 'courage and sense of responsibility have left a profound testimony to humanity's pursuit of ideals.' He added that the June 4 incident must never be forgotten. 'Authoritarian regimes erase history; democracies have a duty to preserve it,' Lai said. 'Today, we remember those who marched for freedom in Tiananmen Square. Taiwan stands firm with like-minded partners on defending democracy and human rights to ensure a free society for future generations,' he wrote on X. In Taiwan, around 3,000 people gathered outside Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei on Wednesday evening to mourn the victims of the Tiananmen massacre. Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, which oversees cross-strait issues, condemned bomb threats that it and other government departments had received to scare off participants at the June 4 commemoration event.
Japan Forward
4 days ago
- Politics
- Japan Forward
China's Apology for Tiananmen Massacre Still Matters 36 Years On
June 4 marked the 36th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre. On that day, the Chinese communist regime used its military forces to suppress students and other supporters of the democracy movement gathered peacefully in Tiananmen Square. Numerous deaths and injuries took place in that public space that marked the heart of Beijing. China's communist government has characterized the protests as a "counter-revolutionary uprising." And it has tried to repress the very memory of the bloodbath by suppressing freedom of speech among the Chinese people. The website of Tiananmen Mothers, a group made up of members of families of the victims, once again in 2025, has called for the truth to be revealed and for those responsible to be held accountable. It calls the event "the most horrific massacre in the world, perpetrated by the government and politicians of the time." Memorial rallies continue to be held annually worldwide. However, they have remained effectively banned in Hong Kong since the Hong Kong National Security Law took effect in 2020. Older family members of the victims are dying off one by one, and it's sad to contemplate their profound despair. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has an inbred compulsion to violate human rights and hide the truth. We cannot condone that. Xi Jinping's administration must make the facts about the Tiananmen Massacre public and apologize to the victims and their families. The Xi administration is now attacking the "America First" ideology of the Donald Trump administration. Specifically, Beijing is pointing to US tariff policies while claiming to act as a defender of the global order and "uphold international fairness and justice." The hypocrisy of the Xi administration's stance is staggering. In the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Tibet, and Hong Kong, the Xi administration has thoroughly suppressed human rights. China's coercive actions have also intensified in the East and South China Seas. Beijing is aiming to change the status quo by force in those regions to gain maritime dominance and annex Taiwan. In Taipei, Taiwan, the lights at a memorial rally are the shape of "8964" (1989 June 4), the date of the massacre. (©Sankei by Yoshiaki Nishimi) This anniversary of the June 4 tragedy should serve as a reminder to the world that the CCP's inhumane and authoritarian nature remains unchanged from 36 years ago. Especially worrisome is the conciliatory stance that Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's Cabinet seems inclined to pursue toward China. From appearances, the governments of Japan and China are of one mind in wanting to promote a mutually beneficial strategic relationship. But aren't our leaders being taken in by Beijing's current smile diplomacy? Predictably, Beijing is making overtures towards Tokyo designed to gain China's advantage in its confrontation with the United States. However, a look beyond the capital reveals another truth. Recently, a helicopter took off from a China Coast Guard vessel, violating Japanese airspace around the Senkaku Islands (Ishigaki City). But the Ishiba administration's response was hesitant. As well, we must not forget the blunder made by the Japanese Cabinet in office at the time of the Tiananmen Massacre. That Cabinet parted from other democracies and opposed joint international sanctions after the incident. Tokyo instead argued that it would be inappropriate to force China into international isolation. Since then, China has used its accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) as leverage to dominate the global market and build up a mammoth military. Japan also bears some responsibility for that. The Ishiba administration should once again call on China to reveal the truth about what really happened in Tiananmen Square. As things stand, it is out of the question for Xi to visit Japan as a state guest. (Read the editorial in Japanese .) Author: Editorial Board, The Sankei Shimbun
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
A quiet Tiananmen Square anniversary shows China's ability to suppress history
BEIJING — For most Chinese, the 36th anniversary of a bloody crackdown that ended pro-democracy protests in China passed like any other weekday. And that's just how the ruling Communist Party wants it. Security was tight Wednesday around Beijing's Tiananmen Square, where weeks of student-led protests shook the party in 1989. Under then-leader Deng Xiaoping, the military was sent in to end the protest on the night of June 3-4. Using live ammunition, soldiers forced their way through crowds that tried to block them from reaching the square. Hundreds and possibly thousands of people were killed, including dozens of soldiers. The party has tried, with some success, to erase what it calls the 'political turmoil' of 1989 from the collective memory. It bans any public commemoration or mention of the June 4 crackdown, scrubbing references from the internet. In recent years, that ban has been extended to Hong Kong, where a once-massive annual candlelight vigil is no longer permitted. Police said they brought 10 people on suspicion of breaching public peace to a police station for investigation. Three were still detained late Wednesday, while the rest were allowed to leave. Police also arrested a woman for failing to show her identity document and a man for obstructing police officers from performing their duties. It is only in Taiwan, a self-governing island that is claimed by China but runs its own affairs, that large June 4 gatherings can still take place. Tiananmen Square is a vast space in the center of Beijing with monumental, communist-era buildings along two sides and the mausoleum of Mao Zedong, who founded the communist era in 1949, on the south end. University students occupied this symbolically important site in the spring of 1989. Their calls for freedoms divided the party leadership. The decision to send in troops marked a decisive turning point in the evolution of modern China, keeping the party firmly in control as it loosened economic restrictions. Chinese officials have said the country's rapid economic development since then proves the decisions made at the time were correct. 'On the political turmoil that happened in the late 1980s, the Chinese government has already reached a clear conclusion,' Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Wednesday. He added that China would continue along its current path of what it calls 'socialism with Chinese characteristics.' Tiananmen Mothers, a group formed by relatives of the victims, made an annual online appeal to the government. Signed by 108 members, it called for an independent investigation into what happened on June 4, 1989, including a list of all who died. The group also demanded compensation for the families and a legal case against those responsible for the deaths. The British and German Embassies in Beijing posted videos commemorating the anniversary on Weibo, a Chinese social media platform, but they were later taken down, presumably by censors. The Canadian and German Embassies displayed images of a single lit candle on large screens facing the main street. In Hong Kong, a carnival showcasing Chinese food and products was held in Victoria Park, where tens of thousands of people used to gather for a candlelight vigil to mark the anniversary. Hong Kong authorities first shut down the vigil during the Covid-19 pandemic and arrested the organizers in 2021. The moves were part of a broader crackdown on dissent following monthslong anti-government protests in 2019 that turned violent and paralyzed parts of the city. A former district council member, Chan Kim-kam, said customs officers questioned her at her shop on the eve of June 4 after she advertised small white candles for sale in an Instagram post titled 'June, we don't forget.' 'You know, Hong Kongers have become silent lambs after 2019,' said King Ng, who was at the park on Wednesday. Police were out in force to try to prevent any protest, and took several people away from the park on Wednesday. They included a young woman wearing a school uniform and holding flowers, a man who lowered his head in apparent prayer, and a man wearing a white T-shirt reading 'Vindication for June 4. It's getting closer and closer.' Police also questioned a woman who lit up a mosquito lamp, but eventually let her go. Rows of electronic candles lit up the windows of the U.S. consulate, and the British consulate projected 'VIIV' — Roman numerals in reference to June 4 — on one of its walls. The British and Canadian consulates earlier posted social media messages about remembering June 4. Hong Kong was a British colony until 1997. The U.S. consulate posted a message from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on its website. 'The CCP actively tries to censor the facts,' Rubio said, referring to China's Communist Party. 'But the world will never forget.' Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te used the anniversary to position the island he leads on the frontline of defending democracy against authoritarianism. In a Facebook post, he drew a distinction between Taiwan's multiparty democracy and China's one-party rule. 'Authoritarian governments often choose to remain silent and forget about history, while democratic societies choose to preserve the truth and refuse to forget those who have contributed to the ideals of human rights and the dreams they embrace,' Lai wrote. Taiwan transitioned from authoritarianism to democracy in a process that began in the late 1980s. It relies on support principally from the U.S., along with other democratic partners, to deter China from an invasion. Several hundred people gathered Wednesday evening for a candlelight vigil in downtown Taipei's Freedom Square. In the center stood a scaled-down model of the 'Pillar of Shame,' a sculpture commemorating the protests that once stood on the campus of the University of Hong Kong. Hong Kong authorities have placed bounties on some activists who have moved abroad. Other democracy advocates in the semi-autonomous Chinese city remain in jail or intimidated into silence. Wu Lang-huang, a Taiwanese professor who was present when troops arrived on the square in 1989, said he will continue to document what happened and collect related artifacts. 'It's not just about remembering what happened then but also for the lessons it tells us about modern Hong Kong and Taiwan,' Wu said. One of the vigil's organizers, who went by the name Mimi for fear of repercussions, said some may question why people born years after the 1989 protests still care. 'It's about memory, which is itself a form of resistance,' she said.
Politico
6 days ago
- Politics
- Politico
A quiet Tiananmen Square anniversary shows China's ability to suppress history
BEIJING — For most Chinese, the 36th anniversary of a bloody crackdown that ended pro-democracy protests in China passed like any other weekday. And that's just how the ruling Communist Party wants it. Security was tight Wednesday around Beijing's Tiananmen Square, where weeks of student-led protests shook the party in 1989. Under then-leader Deng Xiaoping, the military was sent in to end the protest on the night of June 3-4. Using live ammunition, soldiers forced their way through crowds that tried to block them from reaching the square. Hundreds and possibly thousands of people were killed, including dozens of soldiers. The party has tried, with some success, to erase what it calls the 'political turmoil' of 1989 from the collective memory. It bans any public commemoration or mention of the June 4 crackdown, scrubbing references from the internet. In recent years, that ban has been extended to Hong Kong, where a once-massive annual candlelight vigil is no longer permitted. Police said they brought 10 people on suspicion of breaching public peace to a police station for investigation. Three were still detained late Wednesday, while the rest were allowed to leave. Police also arrested a woman for failing to show her identity document and a man for obstructing police officers from performing their duties. It is only in Taiwan, a self-governing island that is claimed by China but runs its own affairs, that large June 4 gatherings can still take place. Tiananmen Square is a vast space in the center of Beijing with monumental, communist-era buildings along two sides and the mausoleum of Mao Zedong, who founded the communist era in 1949, on the south end. University students occupied this symbolically important site in the spring of 1989. Their calls for freedoms divided the party leadership. The decision to send in troops marked a decisive turning point in the evolution of modern China, keeping the party firmly in control as it loosened economic restrictions. Chinese officials have said the country's rapid economic development since then proves the decisions made at the time were correct. 'On the political turmoil that happened in the late 1980s, the Chinese government has already reached a clear conclusion,' Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Wednesday. He added that China would continue along its current path of what it calls 'socialism with Chinese characteristics.' Tiananmen Mothers, a group formed by relatives of the victims, made an annual online appeal to the government. Signed by 108 members, it called for an independent investigation into what happened on June 4, 1989, including a list of all who died. The group also demanded compensation for the families and a legal case against those responsible for the deaths. The British and German Embassies in Beijing posted videos commemorating the anniversary on Weibo, a Chinese social media platform, but they were later taken down, presumably by censors. The Canadian and German Embassies displayed images of a single lit candle on large screens facing the main street. In Hong Kong, a carnival showcasing Chinese food and products was held in Victoria Park, where tens of thousands of people used to gather for a candlelight vigil to mark the anniversary. Hong Kong authorities first shut down the vigil during the Covid-19 pandemic and arrested the organizers in 2021. The moves were part of a broader crackdown on dissent following monthslong anti-government protests in 2019 that turned violent and paralyzed parts of the city. A former district council member, Chan Kim-kam, said customs officers questioned her at her shop on the eve of June 4 after she advertised small white candles for sale in an Instagram post titled 'June, we don't forget.' 'You know, Hong Kongers have become silent lambs after 2019,' said King Ng, who was at the park on Wednesday. Police were out in force to try to prevent any protest, and took several people away from the park on Wednesday. They included a young woman wearing a school uniform and holding flowers, a man who lowered his head in apparent prayer, and a man wearing a white T-shirt reading 'Vindication for June 4. It's getting closer and closer.' Police also questioned a woman who lit up a mosquito lamp, but eventually let her go. Rows of electronic candles lit up the windows of the U.S. consulate, and the British consulate projected 'VIIV' — Roman numerals in reference to June 4 — on one of its walls. The British and Canadian consulates earlier posted social media messages about remembering June 4. Hong Kong was a British colony until 1997. The U.S. consulate posted a message from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on its website. 'The CCP actively tries to censor the facts,' Rubio said, referring to China's Communist Party. 'But the world will never forget.' Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te used the anniversary to position the island he leads on the frontline of defending democracy against authoritarianism. In a Facebook post, he drew a distinction between Taiwan's multiparty democracy and China's one-party rule. 'Authoritarian governments often choose to remain silent and forget about history, while democratic societies choose to preserve the truth and refuse to forget those who have contributed to the ideals of human rights and the dreams they embrace,' Lai wrote. Taiwan transitioned from authoritarianism to democracy in a process that began in the late 1980s. It relies on support principally from the U.S., along with other democratic partners, to deter China from an invasion. Several hundred people gathered Wednesday evening for a candlelight vigil in downtown Taipei's Freedom Square. In the center stood a scaled-down model of the 'Pillar of Shame,' a sculpture commemorating the protests that once stood on the campus of the University of Hong Kong. Hong Kong authorities have placed bounties on some activists who have moved abroad. Other democracy advocates in the semi-autonomous Chinese city remain in jail or intimidated into silence. Wu Lang-huang, a Taiwanese professor who was present when troops arrived on the square in 1989, said he will continue to document what happened and collect related artifacts. 'It's not just about remembering what happened then but also for the lessons it tells us about modern Hong Kong and Taiwan,' Wu said. One of the vigil's organizers, who went by the name Mimi for fear of repercussions, said some may question why people born years after the 1989 protests still care. 'It's about memory, which is itself a form of resistance,' she said.
Japan Today
6 days ago
- Politics
- Japan Today
A quiet Tiananmen Square anniversary shows China's ability to suppress history
By KEN MORITSUGU and KANIS LEUNG For most Chinese, the 36th anniversary of a bloody crackdown that ended pro-democracy protests in China passed like any other weekday. And that's just how the ruling Communist Party wants it. Security was tight Wednesday around Beijing's Tiananmen Square, where weeks of student-led protests shook the party in 1989. Under then-leader Deng Xiaoping, the military was sent in to end the protest on the night of June 3-4. Using live ammunition, soldiers forced their way through crowds that tried to block them from reaching the square. Hundreds and possibly thousands of people were killed, including dozens of soldiers. The party has tried, with some success, to erase what it calls the 'political turmoil' of 1989 from the collective memory. It bans any public commemoration or mention of the June 4 crackdown, scrubbing references from the internet. In recent years, that ban has been extended to Hong Kong, where a once-massive annual candlelight vigil is no longer permitted. Police said they brought 10 people on suspicion of breaching public peace to a police station for investigation. Three were still detained late Wednesday, while the rest were allowed to leave. Police also arrested a woman for failing to show her identity document and a man for obstructing police officers from performing their duties. It is only in Taiwan, a self-governing island that is claimed by China but runs its own affairs, that large June 4 gatherings can still take place. Tiananmen Square is a vast space in the center of Beijing with monumental, communist-era buildings along two sides and the mausoleum of Mao Zedong, who founded the communist era in 1949, on the south end. University students occupied this symbolically important site in the spring of 1989. Their calls for freedoms divided the party leadership. The decision to send in troops marked a decisive turning point in the evolution of modern China, keeping the party firmly in control as it loosened economic restrictions. Chinese officials have said the country's rapid economic development since then proves the decisions made at the time were correct. 'On the political turmoil that happened in the late 1980s, the Chinese government has already reached a clear conclusion," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Wednesday. He added that China would continue along its current path of what it calls 'socialism with Chinese characteristics." Tiananmen Mothers, a group formed by relatives of the victims, made an annual online appeal to the government. Signed by 108 members, it called for an independent investigation into what happened on June 4, 1989, including a list of all who died. The group also demanded compensation for the families and a legal case against those responsible for the deaths. The British and German Embassies in Beijing posted videos commemorating the anniversary on Weibo, a Chinese social media platform, but they were later taken down, presumably by censors. The Canadian and German Embassies displayed images of a single lit candle on large screens facing the main street. In Hong Kong, a carnival showcasing Chinese food and products was held in Victoria Park, where tens of thousands of people used to gather for a candlelight vigil to mark the anniversary. Hong Kong authorities first shut down the vigil during the COVID-19 pandemic and arrested the organizers in 2021. The moves were part of a broader crackdown on dissent following monthslong anti-government protests in 2019 that turned violent and paralyzed parts of the city. A former district council member, Chan Kim-kam, said customs officers questioned her at her shop on the eve of June 4 after she advertised small white candles for sale in an Instagram post titled 'June, we don't forget.' 'You know, Hong Kongers have become silent lambs after 2019,' said King Ng, who was at the park on Wednesday. Police were out in force to try to prevent any protest, and took several people away from the park on Wednesday. They included a young woman wearing a school uniform and holding flowers, a man who lowered his head in apparent prayer, and a man wearing a white T-shirt reading 'Vindication for June 4. It's getting closer and closer." Police also questioned a woman who lit up a mosquito lamp, but eventually let her go. Rows of electronic candles lit up the windows of the U.S. consulate, and the British consulate projected 'VIIV' — Roman numerals in reference to June 4 — on one of its walls. The British and Canadian consulates earlier posted social media messages about remembering June 4. Hong Kong was a British colony until 1997. The U.S. consulate posted a message from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on its website. 'The CCP actively tries to censor the facts,' Rubio said, referring to China's Communist Party. "But the world will never forget.' Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te used the anniversary to position the island he leads on the frontline of defending democracy against authoritarianism. In a Facebook post, he drew a distinction between Taiwan's multiparty democracy and China's one-party rule. 'Authoritarian governments often choose to remain silent and forget about history, while democratic societies choose to preserve the truth and refuse to forget those who have contributed to the ideals of human rights and the dreams they embrace,' Lai wrote. Taiwan transitioned from authoritarianism to democracy in a process that began in the late 1980s. It relies on support principally from the U.S., along with other democratic partners, to deter China from an invasion. Several hundred people gathered Wednesday evening for a candlelight vigil in downtown Taipei's Freedom Square. In the center stood a scaled-down model of the 'Pillar of Shame," a sculpture commemorating the protests that once stood on the campus of the University of Hong Kong. Hong Kong authorities have placed bounties on some activists who have moved abroad. Other democracy advocates in the semi-autonomous Chinese city remain in jail or intimidated into silence. Wu Lang-huang, a Taiwanese professor who was present when troops arrived on the square in 1989, said he will continue to document what happened and collect related artifacts. 'It's not just about remembering what happened then but also for the lessons it tells us about modern Hong Kong and Taiwan,' Wu said. One of the vigil's organizers, who went by the name Mimi for fear of repercussions, said some may question why people born years after the 1989 protests still care. 'It's about memory, which is itself a form of resistance,' she said. The year in which British colonial rule ended in Hong Kong has been corrected in this story to 1997. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
