The Tiananmen Square Silence
Hong Kong's empty streets on the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre are a stark reminder of Beijing's war on freedom and democracy.
By Michael Judge
Three years ago today, on June 4, 2019, the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, more than 180,000 Hong Kongers gathered in Victoria Park for their city’s annual candlelight vigil commemorating the massive pro-democracy protests that sprung up in Beijing in the spring and summer of 1989, and to remember the many thousands who lost their lives in the bloody crackdown.
Today, Victoria Park is eerily silent after Beijing’s less bloody but equally draconian crackdown on Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement and utter betrayal of its commitment to “one country, two systems” after the handover of the former British colony to the People’s Republic of China in 1997.
Anyone who witnessed the fanfare of the handover will remember Prince Charles in his glistening military uniform alongside Hong Kong’s last British governor, …
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to The First Person with Michael Judge to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.