People in Hong Kong gather for a vigil to remember the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, despite police permission for the event being denied.
Photo: © AP A Church leader in Hong Kong has urged people to continue resisting Communist repression from China after thousands defied the city administration’s ban on remembering the Tiananmen Square victims.
Some churches in the region marked the June 4 anniversary with Masses and prayers in memory of the young people who were crushed in the 1989 student-led pro-democracy movement.
Cardinal Joseph Zen, former bishop of Hong Kong, said the massacre should inspire others “to pick up the flags” that fell in Beijing.
“Hong Kong will be another Tiananmen,” wrote Cardinal Zen in his blog. He wrote that the annual commemoration and prayer is “not only to mourn the deceased or comfort their loved ones”, but also “to remind ourselves that we should pick up the flags left by the martyrs…and carry on their mission”.
Permission
Authorities refused permission to hold the usual Tiananmen memorial in the city-state; the only place in China where the anniversary was allowed. Police had claimed it could increase the risk of coronavirus infection and pose a significant threat to public health.
However, tens of thousands defied the ban to stage a candlelit vigil after knocking down barricades around Victoria Park.
Lee Cheuk-yan, chairman of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, said police denying them permission was “politically motivated” and a threat to Hong Kong’s freedom of assembly.
Lina Chan, executive secretary of the Justice and Peace Commission of Hong Kong, adds that the pandemic has been used to “restrict” freedom of assembly and that the situation “will become even worse” once the new national security law is enacted.