CHINA NEWS:Hong Kong Deployed 3,000 Police to Block Tiananmen Memorials, but People Have Their Ways

By Jacqueline Chung

Hong Kong, once the only free city in China, has not stopped commemorating the Tiananmen Square Massacre in a peaceful manner for more than 30 years. After the government banned the annual candlelight vigil last year using the pandemic as a pretext, over 3,000 police officers have been deployed this year and advocates were arrested. However, that did not stop the people of Hong Kong from preserving the truth in their own way.

Memorial activities blocked by the government

Hong Kong’s Apple Daily reported that on June 4 this year, authorities mobilized thousands of police officers to set up roadblocks to check vehicles in the main roads and cross-harbor tunnels. The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China (the “Alliance”) has been organizing candlelight vigils in Victoria Park for 30 consecutive years. In 2020, the Hong Kong government for the first time banned people from entering the park to participate in the vigil on the grounds of the pandemic, but a large number of people ignored the ban and joined in the protests. This year, however, Victoria Park was empty for the first time in 32 years due to the heavy police lockdown. The Alliance earlier applied to hold a “Remember June 4 Rally” on May 30 and a candlelight vigil in Victoria Park on June 4, but were refused by the police. The Appeal Board of Public Meetings and Processions rejected the Alliance’s appeal on May 29, citing the pandemic and the restriction on gathering. Considering the safety of participants, the Alliance then announced that it would cancel the event, but call on the public to mourn in their own ways and in a safe and peaceful manner. The June 4th Museum, which was closed due to continuous harassment and vandalism, was reopened by the Alliance after the vigil was rejected. However, three days later, the Hong Kong government sent officers from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department that accused the museum of violating the Places of Public Entertainment Ordinance.

Hong Kong people have their ways

In recent years, the Hong Kong government has become more and more inclined to Beijing, and after the CCP’s override of Hong Kong’s legislative system to enact the National Security Law last year, Hong Kong’s government has been doing more and more to curry favor with the mainland regime. In the face of strong repression, the people of Hong Kong are still trying to find ways to commemorate the Tiananmen Massacre. On June 4 of this year, people dressed in black, stood with candles in their hands in Mong Kok, Causeway Bay and other busy streets. Civil society organizations volunteered to distribute candles in many communities. At least seven Catholic churches have set up “memorial masses” with live webcasts. Some people climbed the Lion Rock, the symbol of the spirit of Hong Kong, and Tai Mo Shan, the highest mountain in Hong Kong, to display slogans about not forgetting June 4 and pursuing democracy in Hong Kong.