Tiananmen Square: Hong Kong police make arrests on anniversary of massacre

Alexandra Wong being detained by the Hong Kong PoliceReuters

On the celebration of the Tiananmen Square massacre, authorities in the Hong Kong have detained pro-democracy protesters.

Officials have outlawed public remembrance of the 1989 event, which saw China use tanks and troops to stifle peaceful demonstrations in Beijing.

However, numerous candlelight vigils are anticipated to be held in places all over the world.

Alexandra Wong, a well-known campaigner in her 67th year and also known as” Grandma Wang ,” was one of those detained.

She was detained while carrying flowers close to Victoria Park, the site of long-running rallies.

According to the AFP media company, a police vehicle has also been used to detain and imprison the head of one of the Hong Kong’s key opposition parties.

Chan Po Ying, a seasoned pro-democracy figure who is the leader of the League of Social Democrats, was holding two plants and an LED light.

Activities commemorating the Beijing murder of 1989 are prohibited in mainland China.

Under the Hong Kong’s semi-autonomous economic, political, and constitutional structure, known as” one country, two methods ,” which was established when the area was ceded to China by the UK in 1997, these ceremonies were originally only permitted in that area.

However, since the Chinese government enacted a rigorous national security law outlawing numerous forms of dissent, public events to commemorate the anniversary have been prohibited.

Since 2020, when the annual ceremonies were originally outlawed by the Hong Kong’s Covid restrictions, they have not been held.

Instead, Victoria Park will host a pro-Beijing festival this time.

On Sunday, Ms. Wong was swiftly surrounded by police and taken apart in the Causeway Bay neighborhood of the city.

Since 1990, Tiananmen Square has been the subject of yearly candlelit vigils held in local Victoria Park. In many parts of China, June Fourth is a holiday that draws tens of thousands of people.

Police detain a man with the scripts of titled "May 35", a reference to the 4 June 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing

Reuters

Hundreds of the Hong Kong Police officers have been stationed at strategic locations throughout the town, preventing people from asking them questions during searches.

According to reports, officials have removed at least 10 folks, including Ms. Wong.

A person who yelled,” Lift candles!” was one of those detained. ‘ Grieve 64′! Another was a man carrying the book” May 35th ,” which both alludes to the killings’ deadline of June 4th.

At least four people were detained on Saturday, and several more were held close to Victoria Park.

On Sunday, dozens of candlelight vigils will be held all over the world to honor those who were killed by the Chinese navy as a result of the assault.

Some people involved also hope that the processions will preserve the spirit of the Hong Kong’s once-vibrant political and civil society, which has largely fallen silent as a result of the fact that so many people have either been detained under the national security law or have completely left the city.

In 1989, the Tiananmen Square protests in Beijing served as the focal point for nationwide rallies calling for greater political rights.

Before the military arrived on June 4 and started firing, thousands of people — most of whom were students — camped there for weeks.

For blocking an advancing row of tanks in film that was seen all over the world, one unnamed activist rose to prominence on a global scale.

200 citizens and some few security personnel, according to the Chinese government, perished. Another projections have ranged from a few hundred to tens of thousands.

Protesters have viewed the authorities’ actions as a component of China’s larger strategy to put an end to political protest in the Hong Kong.

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