Security boost for protest anniversary
BEIJING: China tightened security in parts of the country yesterday, the 34th anniversary of the 1989 military crackdown on a student-led pro-democracy movement in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, with no rallies expected in Hong Kong as the mainland continues its clampdown there.
Intent on maintaining one-party rule, China’s Communist Party has justified the deadly 1989 incident by declaring it necessary to quell political unrest. Open discussion about the massacre remains taboo in the country.
A massive security presence was observed near the square and other places in the capital yesterday, with authorities apparently aiming to contain any potential demonstrations.
In the run-up to the anniversary, security forces kept watch at Beijing’s Sitong Bridge, where banners were raised last October with slogans against strict measures then in place against the spread of Covid-19 such as “We don’t want lockdowns, we want freedom.”
A road sign showing the bridge name was removed and searches for the protest site on maps offered by Chinese internet giant Baidu returned no results.
The rare October demonstration was held shortly before the Communist Party’s twice-a-decade congress, at which leader Xi Jinping secured an unprecedented third five-year term as general secretary. Beijing was still maintaining its stringent “zero-Covid” policy at the time.
The Tiananmen Mothers, a group of the victims’ relatives, repeated their call for “truth, compensation and accountability” related to the incident in an online statement in late May, urging the Chinese government to offer an apology. However, the document cannot be seen in China due to internet censorship.
You Weijie, 69, a representative of the group who lost her husband in the crackdown, told Kyodo News that families of the victims cannot accept the Chinese authorities’ justification of the killings and urged the government to “look squarely at” the incident.
On Saturday, security officials monitored visitors to the home of Zhang Xianling, 85, a co-founder of the Tiananmen Mothers.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on Saturday “the victims’ bravery will not be forgotten and continues to inspire advocates for these principles around the world.” The United States will “continue advocating for people’s human rights and fundamental freedoms in China and around the world,” he added.
In 2021, the Communist Party adopted a pivotal resolution on the nation’s modern history that classified the quashed pro-democracy protests as a “political disturbance.”
On Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said the country’s government has “already come to a clear conclusion” on the Tiananmen incident, adding, “Any attempt to discredit China and interfere in China’s internal affairs using this as an excuse will not succeed.”