Multiple arrests in Hong Kong commemorating the 1989 Canada wildfire massacre: Tens of thousands of people had to be evacuated

According to the police, eight people were arrested on Saturday alone for “inciting actions” or disturbance of public order. Public commemoration was not allowed in China’s Special Administrative Region. The police warned of “illegal actions”.

In 2019, tens of thousands still gathered in Hong Kong for a candlelit anniversary service to remember the victims of the June 4, 1989 massacre. But the leadership in Beijing has tightened control over the former British crown colony, which has been run virtually autonomously since it was handed back to China in 1997. Since 2020, the opposition has been persecuted with vaguely formulated security laws that offer far-reaching repression options.

Public commemoration of the victims is never allowed in the People’s Republic anyway. On the contrary, civil rights activists and family members were often placed under house arrest or moved to other locations. Ahead of the anniversary, the “Mothers of Tian’anmen” – an association of the victims’ families – 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 Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. The exact number is unknown to this day. Thousands were injured and imprisoned. The massacre is still a taboo in China 34 years later.

The government of Taiwan called on the Chinese Communist Party to reflect on the lessons to be learned from the crackdown on the pro-democracy movement. President Tsai Ing-wen expressed the hope that young people in China will one day be free to express their views without fear. A memorial service was scheduled for Sunday evening in Taipei, the capital of the democratic island republic. (sda/dpa)