36 Years after Tiananmen crackdown: China tries to erase, but the world still remembers
Thirty-six years ago, non-violent resistance was met with brutal force when the Chinese government crushed the powerful Tiananmen Square pro-democracy movement. June 4 remains a black day in China’s history — a day when the government turned its troops and tanks against its own citizens, killing hundreds in a violent effort to silence students, workers, academics, writers, and journalists who were demanding greater personal freedoms and a more pluralistic political system.
While the Xi Jinping government continues its relentless attempts to erase the memory of this massacre from public consciousness, international voices refuse to remain silent. Amnesty International UK will hold a candlelight vigil opposite the Chinese Embassy in London to mark the 36th anniversary of the 1989 crackdown and to honor the victims. In Hong Kong, a patriotic food carnival will be held at Victoria Park on June 4 for the third consecutive year. This location was historically known for its annual candlelight vigils to commemorate the Tiananmen victims.
Authorities in Hong Kong first banned the Victoria Park vigil in 2020, citing COVID-19 restrictions, and continued the ban in 2021, a year after the introduction of the National Security Law. The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China — the group that organized the vigils — disbanded in September 2021 after several of its members were arrested. Since then, no official commemoration has taken place.
The Hong Kong government now refers to the Tiananmen anniversary as a “sensitive date.” Statues and artworks commemorating the massacre have been systematically removed from universities. On December 23, 2021, the ‘Pillar of Shame’ monument was removed from the University of Hong Kong in a covert overnight operation. The following day, the ‘Goddess of Democracy’ statue was taken down from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and the Tiananmen Massacre wall relief disappeared from Lingnan University.
Despite this erasure campaign, the global community continues to stand firm. “Tiananmen Mothers” — a group of victims’ relatives — has called for a full, impartial inquiry into the massacre, the release of a complete list of those killed, compensation for families, and legal accountability for those responsible. They have urged the Chinese government to resolve the issue through open dialogue.
Amnesty International remains a leading voice calling for justice for those killed or imprisoned during and after the crackdown. The organization has published features explaining the events of Tiananmen and launched global campaigns encouraging people to remember the massacre. Their petition — promoted via the “Remembering Tiananmen Square” Instagram filter — seeks to ensure the tragedy is not forgotten. “Peaceful protest can be ruthlessly suppressed,” said Amnesty, “but it can never be completely silenced.”
Last year, Taiwan’s political leadership commemorated the 35th anniversary of the massacre by reaffirming democratic values and expressing sympathy for the ongoing fight for freedom in China. President William Lai noted in a Facebook post that the world was inspired by the courage of young Chinese people who stood for freedom in 1989. He honored Taiwan’s own democratic transformation and the youth who continue to carry the torch for liberty.
On June 4, 2024, the U.S. Department of State released a statement reaffirming its solidarity with those continuing the struggle for human rights in China. It highlighted the courage of those who stood in Tiananmen Square, and called upon the PRC to release those arbitrarily detained and to uphold the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to which China is a signatory.
Meanwhile, China has tightened security around Tiananmen Square in anticipation of the anniversary. The government has long attempted to erase public memory of the events, when an estimated 180,000 troops and armed police, using tanks and live ammunition, were deployed to crush the months-long protests. According to declassified UK diplomatic cables, at least 10,000 people were killed in the crackdown — a figure far higher than official Chinese accounts have ever acknowledged.
As the world prepares to commemorate the 36th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, China continues its aggressive campaign to suppress remembrance and silence dissent. Yet, no amount of censorship or intimidation can erase the truth. The global community cannot and will not forget the sacrifices of the “Tiananmen Mothers”, the families of those killed, and the many individuals who remain imprisoned for daring to speak out. The international conscience remains awake. While the Chinese government may try to bury the past, the world will continue to raise its voice — in remembrance, in resistance, and in unwavering solidarity with those who still fight for freedom in China.
[The opinions expressed in this article are of the author. Europeantimes.org takes no responsibility for the same.]
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