3 days ago
Hong Kong activists, diaspora attend Tiananmen anniversary vigils overseas amid ban in home city
Hong Kong activists and the diaspora attended candlelight vigils and other events around the world on Wednesday to mark the 36th anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown, amid the city's ongoing ban on public commemorations of the event.
Hong Kong, once the only location on Chinese soil to host large-scale Tiananmen memorial vigils, has not held any large-scale gatherings since 2020, when authorities banned the annual event for the first time, citing Covid-19 restrictions. The ban was enforced again in 2021, nearly a year after a national security law imposed by Beijing came into effect.
On Wednesday, Hong Kong police patrolled Victoria Park, the former site of the annual vigils, and its vicinity, searching and taking away individuals suspected of mourning the crackdown victims.
The June 4 anniversaries have become annual activities in cities from Taipei to London, from Vancouver to Washington, DC.
More than 30 events were held in 20 cities around the world this year, from talks, exhibitions, and dramas to marches, assemblies, and candlelight vigils, according to international media reports. Some events attracted dozens of participants, while others drew hundreds or even thousands of attendees.
The Tiananmen crackdown occurred on June 4, 1989, ending months of student-led demonstrations in China. It is estimated that hundreds, perhaps thousands, died when the People's Liberation Army cracked down on protesters in Beijing.
Taiwan
On Wednesday evening, around 3,000 people braved the rain and showed up at Taipei's Liberty Square to commemorate the crackdown that took place 36 years ago, according to the New School for Democracy, one of the organisers.
The attendees held up digital memorial candles and observed 64 seconds of silence to mourn the victims of Beijing's crackdown.
The attendees included not only Taiwanese but also Hongkongers currently residing in Taiwan, according to the Taipei Times, a local newspaper.
'We faced a more challenging situation this year, not only because of threats from outside, but also due to challenges of limited resources,' the New School for Democracy said in Chinese on Facebook. 'That is exactly why we need to stand firm in continuing to host this assembly and to safeguard this piece of history.'
Canada
Hundreds of people gathered in Vancouver's David Lam Park on Wednesday evening to attend a candlelight vigil organised by the Vancouver Society in Support of Democratic Movement (VSSDM).
The VSSDM also invited various speakers to share their memories of the Tiananmen crackdown and the changes in Hong Kong over the past few years.
One of them was Mak Hoi-wah, a former member of Hong Kong's Democratic Party and former vice chairperson of the defunct Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China – a group that organised annual Tiananmen vigils in Hong Kong.
As night fell, attendees lit candles distributed by the organiser to mourn the victims of the crackdown.
The VSSDM and the Toronto Association for Democracy in China (TADC) started holding activities to mark the Tiananmen crackdown on Sunday, according to Radio Canada International.
Around 2,000 people took part in a candlelight vigil organised by the TADC at North York Mel Lastman Square, Toronto, on Sunday.
Among the speakers were human rights activist Zhou Fengsuo, who survived the Tiananmen crackdown, and Hong Kong activist and former student leader Alex Chow.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow also attended the vigil.
The student union at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver and the VSSDM invited people to lay wreaths at the statue of the Goddess of Democracy on the campus on Sunday morning.
United Kingdom
Hundreds of people attended a candlelight vigil in front of the Chinese embassy in London on Wednesday evening to commemorate the Tiananmen crackdown.
Similar activities were also held in other cities across England, including Reading, Leeds, Birmingham, Cardiff, Kingston, and Chester, as well as in Scotland.
United States
On Wednesday evening, like in previous years, the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation organised a candlelight vigil in front of its memorial statue in Washington, DC.
Self-exiled Hong Kong activist Frances Hui – one of 19 people wanted by the Hong Kong government on suspicion of committing national security offences – was among those who attended the vigil.
Events to mark the 36th anniversary of the crackdown were also held in New York in the US; Tokyo in Japan; Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth in Australia; and Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
