HONG KONG/BEIJING (Reuters) – People in Hong Kong planned to light candles across the city on Thursday to commemorate the bloody 1989 crackdown by Chinese troops in and around Tiananmen Square, circumventing a ban on the usual public gathering amid the coronavirus pandemic.
People attend a candlelight vigil ahead of the 31st anniversary of the crackdown of pro-democracy protests at Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in 1989, after police rejects a mass annual vigil on public health grounds, in Hong Kong, China June 3, 2020. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu
The June 4 anniversary strikes an especially sensitive nerve in the semi-autonomous city this year after Beijing’s move last month to impose national security legislation in Hong Kong, which critics fear will crush freedoms in the financial hub.
It also comes as Chinese media and some Beijing officials voiced support for protests across the United States against police brutality.
In the Chinese capital, security around Tiananmen Square, a popular tourist attraction in the heart of the city, appeared to be tightened on Thursday, with more police visible than on ordinary days.
The Tiananmen crackdown is not officially commemorated in mainland China, where the topic is taboo and any discussion heavily censored. There was no mention of the anniversary in state media on Thursda