“The memories of June 4 will not disappear in the torrent of history and we will continue to work hard to keep this historical memory alive”, for “all those who are attached to Chinese democracy”, wrote on Facebook Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, who took office in May. “Because it reminds us that democracy and freedom are not easy to achieve, we must […] respond to autocracy with freedom and face the rise of authoritarianism with courage,” added the leader, regularly accused of “dangerous separatist” by Beijing.
“China is becoming more and more authoritarian and Xi Jinping looks like an emperor”
On June 4, 1989, China sent troops and tanks against pro-democracy and peaceful demonstrators in Beijing’s main central square to end weeks of protests calling for political change. Hundreds of people, even more than a thousand by some estimates, were killed.
The subject is particularly sensitive for China’s communist leaders and any mention of the repression is strictly censored in the country. Many young Chinese today are unaware of this part of Chinese history because of this censorship.
” The people’s voice “
In the crowd gathered in Taiwan, Vincent Lee, 46, explained that it was his “way of protecting democracy and freedom in Taiwan against the Chinese dictatorship”. “China is becoming more and more authoritarian and Xi Jinping [le président chinois, NDLR] looks like an emperor,” he judged.
China believes that Taiwan is one of its provinces, which it has not yet succeeded in reunifying with its territory since the end of the civil war and the coming to power of the communists in Beijing in 1949. It has accused President Lai Ching-te to push the island towards “war” and organized large-scale military maneuvers around Taiwan in May.
“A truly respectable country is a country where people express themselves”
Mr. Lai’s Democratic Progressive Party defends the sovereignty of Taiwan, which has its own government, army and currency. “A truly respectable country is a country where people express themselves,” Mr. Lai wrote in his publication this Tuesday, June 4. “Any regime must confront the voice of the people, especially the younger generation, because social change often depends on diverse opinions,” he added.
In 1989, Beijing claimed to have put an end to “counter-revolutionary riots” in what outside the country was seen as a massacre of innocents, including many students. Asked about 35e anniversary on Monday, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry indicated that Beijing “will continue to oppose the use (of these events) to attack and smear China”.
Beijing “will continue to oppose the use (of these events) to attack and smear China”
The European Union called on the Chinese authorities to “act so that those responsible are brought to justice”.
Tourists in photos
In Tiananmen Square, groups of tourists wearing matching neon headwear were seen Tuesday morning posing next to the mausoleum of Chinese leader Mao Tse-tung. The security presence was significant but not unusual. Access to the largest square in the world, which is lined with numerous official buildings as well as the Forbidden City, is strictly controlled at all times and requires authorization.
In Hong Kong, a former British colony returned to China in 1997, police announced early Wednesday that four people had been arrested. One of them is a 68-year-old woman arrested for “offenses relating to seditious intent”, an offense under Hong Kong’s new security law, adopted in March. The press release specifies that five other people were arrested “for investigation into public order disturbances”, then released shortly after. Eight people had already been arrested at the start of the week in connection with this new law.
“As Beijing attempts to erase the memory of June 4, the United States stands in solidarity with those who continue the fight for human rights and individual freedom
Hong Kong was for a long time the only place in China where the commemoration of the massacre of June 4, 1989 was tolerated. The handover agreement guaranteed in principle an extended regime of freedoms in the former colony until 2047. But these commemorations, often in the form of candlelight vigils in tribute to the many protesters killed, were banned from 2020.r AFP journalists saw dozens of police officers patrolling Victoria Park, where tens of thousands of people previously gathered to mourn the dead.
