Thousands gathered at Victoria Park to attend an annual candlelight vigil to mark 31 years since the Tiananmen Massacre on Thursday, despite a police ban which cited coronavirus public health concerns.
The solemn occasion usually attracts tens of thousands of participants and is the only place on Chinese soil where such an event can be held. It is estimated that hundreds, perhaps thousands, died as the People’s Liberation Army cracked down on the student-led movement in Beijing on June 4, 1989.
Organiser the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China on Tuesday said they would nonetheless enter the park in groups of eight as per the government’s public gatherings restriction.
The Alliance encouraged participants to tune into its live stream and light candles across the city.
Activists also encouraged people around the world to use the hashtag #6431truth on social media as a show of mourning.
Around an hour before the 8 pm start time, crowds pushed over the metal barriers lining the football pitches.
As the event kicked off, crowds lit their candles and, at 8:09 pm, they observed a minute of silence to commemorate victims of the massacre.
The organiser then played a video of testimonies from the “Tiananmen Mothers” – an activist group comprised of mothers and family of the victims.
Pockets of attendees sang pro-democracy songs including “Flowers of Freedom,” whilst others chanted slogans calling for accountability and vindication of the massacre victims.
A man who declined to give his name told HKFP he has taken part in the annual vigil for years: “I am here to light the candle and shine through the darkness,” he said. “Even if the national security law passes, I will still come here next year.”
Ahead of the event, police posted a statement on Facebook advising the public to stay at home and reduce social contact due to the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak.
“The public are advised to stay at home and avoid travelling to crowded places or participating in prohibited gatherings. Members of the community should join hands to combat the pandemic,” it read, adding that the restriction on group gatherings remained in effect.
“[T]he risk of health impact caused by COVID-19 on the local population is high and imminent. This may cause severe and widespread transmissions and a sustained community outbreak… Following [a] risk assessment, the police considered that a public meeting is a high-risk activity and therefore issued “letters of objection” to the two organisers.”
Jacky, an accountant who declined to give her surname, told HKFP she felt compelled to attend this year’s vigil despite the police order.
“I think most Hong Kong people have to resist. We have to fight for something that Hong Kong people deserve to have,” she said. “In the past year, Hong Kong sacrificed a lot.”
