bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

SCMP Reporters

Hongkongers gathered in record numbers, organisers said on Tuesday night, to mourn those who lost their lives in a bloody crackdown on democracy protesters in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in 1989.
The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China said well over 180,000 had attended the annual candlelight vigil, contrasting with last year’s 115,000. Police put the figure at 37,000 on Tuesday night and 17,000 in 2018.

Public opposition to the government’s controversial extradition bill was expected to boost the turnout on the 30th anniversary of the tragedy which left hundreds, possibly more than 1,000, dead.
You can see how it played out below.


Tiananmen Square protester turned lawyer killed in his New York office

Hong Kong’s annual Tiananmen Square vigil banned on health grounds, as officials cite coronavirus pandemic

South China Morning Post wins big at Online Journalism Awards for coverage of Hong Kong protests, coronavirus pandemic, Tiananmen crackdown anniversary

Tiananmen Square

Tiananmen Square crackdown 30th anniversary

As it happened: How ‘record crowds’ turned out for Tiananmen Square 30th anniversary vigil in Hong Kong

Photo: Sam Tsang

Hong Kong braces for big crowds and high emotions as June 4 vigil for Tiananmen crackdown coincides with anger over extradition proposal

Up to 180,000 people are expected to attend a candlelight vigil. Photo: EPA-EFE

Xu Hao, 32, flew from Sichuan to visit the June 4 Museum and attend the candlelight vigil for the first time in his life. 03JUN19 SCMP / Su Xinqi

Firefighters arrive at scene after receiving report on gas leakage at June 4 Museum in Mong Kok. 03JUN19 SCMP / Nora Tam

Peoples visit the June 4 Museum in Mong Kok ahead of the 30th anniversary of Tiananmen Square crackdown tomorrow.03JUN19 SCMP / Nora Tam

Students visit the June 4 Museum in Mong Kok on Monday ahead of the 30th anniversary of Tiananmen Square crackdown. Photo: Nora Tam

News

Hong Kong

Politics

Organisers claim turnout exceeds 2012 and 2014 peaks but police estimate crowd was 37,000 at most
City's contentious extradition bill also brings out crowds


Organisers claim turnout exceeds 2012 and 2014 peaks but police estimate crowd was 37,000 at most


Tiananmen Square crackdown

June 4 vigil in Hong Kong

Legislative Council of Hong Kong

Hong Kong Basic Law

Hong Kong extradition bill

Chinese history

Live

Despite cloudy skies and a drizzle, more than 1,000 Hongkongers - mostly in black and white - have arrived at Victoria Park as early as 6pm, armed with umbrellas, some in raincoats. Organisers are running last-minute stage rehearsals as a band plays theme songs of the vigil. One of the numbers is 'Is It a Crime', released by local singer Anthony Wong Yiu-ming last month. Wong wrote the song with his long-time musical partner Tats Lau to mark the 30th anniversary of the bloody crackdown.



Light rain does not deter crowds

As the vigil officially begins, police at Tin Hau MTR station are directing people to other exits to facilitate crowd control. In place of lit candles, an attendant was seen distributing battery-powered ones, saying this is more environmentally friendly, especially under the wet weather. 



Crowd control and battery-powered candles

Lee Cheuk-yan of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China says he hopes to fill all six soccer pitches in the park, as well as a grass pitch. "We believe people will not be deterred by the rain, because the emotion is there," he adds.
Lee also says there's an urgency for Hongkongers to oppose the extradition bill, which will be raised at the event. 
#Tiananmen30 crackdown vigil in Hong Kong right now @SCMPNews
HK people refused to forget. pic.twitter.com/N1qU6QDw5U
— Phila Siu (Bobby) (@phila_siu) June 4, 2019


'We believe people will not be deterred by the rain'

The route from Tin Hau MTR station to Victoria Park is packed with hundreds of participants making their way to the candlelight vigil at the same time. Volunteers continue to distribute flyers and ask for donations from the public.


Crowds pour in from MTR station

Patrick Ho, chairman of Voice of Loving Hong Kong, a pro-Beijing organisation founded in 2014, says he wants people to heal and move forward. "We shouldn't keep arguing over what the government did wrong or what students did wrong. Everyone did something wrong." He thinks Hongkongers need to move past June 4 and be more constructive. Ho also does not think criticisms against the extradition bill are warranted. "It's just some people up to no good scaring Hongkongers about the law. The Communist Party is not a lawless administration."



'Move on and be more constructive'

As the light rain stops, Hongkongers young and old, stream into Victoria Park for the event at 8pm. Some came on wheelchairs, while other elderly participants hold walking sticks.

Organiser Albert Ho Chun-yan says even the rain will not dampen people's eagerness. Several years ago, it rained so heavily that the audio system stopped working. This year, Ho says, organisers have taken every measure to make sure equipment will function. "A lot of young people have come this year. Those who chose not to come seem to be student leaders. Apparently, many refused to listen to the student leaders," he says.


Assurances that equipment will work despite rain

Andrew Shum Wai-nam, 32, has been coming to the vigil for almost 19 consecutive years. For the past several years, he was a volunteer.
"When I was young, I learned about the crackdown on the news. I asked my parents: what happened in 1989?” he says. "My parents knew what happened. They wanted vindication as well."

He said he skipped the event one year only because he was travelling in Rome.
“When I was in Rome, I saw that some newspapers published pictures of the Victoria Park vigil on the front page. The importance of coming to the vigil is that we are telling the world that we refuse to forget,” he says


'Telling the world: we refuse to forget'

A blind man who only gave his name as Ah Fai, is here for a second time. The 31-year-old says: “I was only one when the crackdown took place. But I feel like I cannot see myself as an outsider in this."
"If I stay silent, or if I choose to forget, I am no different than an accomplice to the Chinese government.”
His parents told him not to come, fearing for his safety in a crowded place, but he says he insisted. 




'Not an outsider'

Generous donations have poured in for the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, the organiser of the vigil, at a booth manned by Occupy co-founder Reverend Chu Yiu-ming near the Tin Hau entrance.

The donation boxes are full of HK$100 notes, alongside some Hk$500 notes. Chu says people are more enthusiastic this year as the crackdown marks its 30th anniversary, spurred on by the ongoing controversy over the extradition bill.


Donations pour in for organiser

Retiree Leung Yat-wah has made a sign that says "June 4th massacre. The CCP committed crimes" to express his anguish. "What kind of government kills their own students?" he asks. Leung, 70, has been attending the vigil almost every year. Although he notes that fewer young people are going to the event in recent years, he says: "Youngsters are living in a different era now. They have the internet. Just because they don't attend doesn't mean they will forget. This is not something that can easily be forgotten."
Leung also says he strongly objects to the extradition bill. "The bill destroys the values Hong Kong stands for, such as the rule of law."


A 70-year-old's anguish

Among visitors are media boss Jimmy Lai and Democratic Party founding chairman Martin Lee Chu-ming. Both have urged Hong Kong people to join the June 9 rally opposing the extradition bill.



Familiar faces in the crowd

Student Wong Wai-yi, 28, is participating for the sixth time. She says she skipped the vigils from 2010 to 2014 as they were getting “too repetitive”. This year, because of the extradition bill controversy and the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown, Wong says it is important for her to attend again. “Once the bill is passed, the basic structure of Hong Kong will be destroyed because we are well-known for the freedom we have, as compared to China."



Spurred on by anger over extradition bill

Participants numbering in the tens of thousands, filing up all six soccer pitches, raise their candles as the song Blood-stained Glory blares to launch the vigil. 
Even 30 years later we have not forgotten... #hongkong #tiananmen30 pic.twitter.com/ZUTziZP3DI
— Bernice Chan (@beijingcalling) June 4, 2019


Vigil begins as tens of thousands hold up candles

A sea of candles kicks off the vigil as organisers have now closed entry to the six full soccer pitches. Crowds will be diverted to a grass field. 



Fully packed soccer pitches closed 

#Tiananmen A high-school student placed a canvas with tanks sketches for the crowd to fill in the colour. #Tiananmen30 @SCMPNews pic.twitter.com/1lDfYDy2yx
— Athena (@AthenaCDaily) June 4, 2019


Colour the tanks

Other than the conventional song choices, the vigil this year featured two pieces of work by mainland singer Li Zhi, whose performances were cancelled by authorities there because of the criticism in his lyrics.
A music video aired at the start of the event showed Li's song The Square. Along with images of former Hong Kong leaders downplaying June 4 and Hong Kong people taking to the streets for democracy, the song lyrics state: "You will be educated into a bad person, an animal that won't save the dying ones". 

Before the vigil began, a band played Li's Black Envelope, which accused authorities of stealing the country from its people.


Songs of protest

Organisers play footage of the crackdown, showing military troops firing on civilians, and the injured helping each other get to safety. Vigil organisers and student representatives lay flowers in front of the statue honouring the dead. “Flowers for the people’s heroes. We wish that you all rest in peace,” an organiser said on stage.
 


Flowers for 'the people's heroes'

People are still coming from all over the city to attend the vigil. At Tin Hau station, some have been in line for 20 to 25 minutes to get into the park. Frustrated crowds behind cordons shout at police. 



Frustrated crowds stranded at Tin Hau station

In its speech mourning activists who lost their lives in the crackdown, vigil organiser the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China says the pro-democracy movement in China has lived on. "The resistance that you started continue to inspire movements in and outside the country," a representative says. 

"You live on in the candlelight at Victoria Park tonight."


'You live on in the candlelight'

After a minute of silence at the event, Zhang Xianling, whose son was killed during the crackdown, says in a video broadcast that the candles in Victoria Park have lit up the hearts of Tiananmen mothers such as herself over the last 30 years. “For 30 years, the candlelight has accompanied us through difficult times and warmed our hearts,” she says.
“It’s been 30 years since the crackdown. On that bloody night, the sounds of the gun shots ... have forever stayed in our minds.” The Chinese government cannot just wipe away the bloodshed by branding it as “political turmoil”, she adds. 

Over the years, 57 members of the Tiananmen Mothers group have since died but Zhang stresses that other members will continue the fight. “Our grief has become our motivation."


The grief of Tiananmen mothers

With all six soccer pitches filled and estimates of more than 100,000 already in attendance, the vigil could be on track to surpass the record of 180,000 set in 2012 and 2014. The organisers are still to confirm the final numbers.



On track to surpass record

Activist Laurie Wen, 48, holds a poster opposing Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam. She is now based in New York but grew up in Hong Kong, and has attended a June 4 commemoration every year, either in the city or at similar events in the US.
She intends to fly back to Hong Kong again for the protest march against the extradition law because "it is a thing about being fundamentally human". Although she is not confident of the government shelving the controversial legislation, she will carry on her protest because "we don't want people like Carrie Lam to tell the world lies". 

"This is the same regime that created the cultural revolution.”
She adds: “People are being put into prison because they spoke about reality. [Authorities] are afraid of the truth.”


'We don't want Carrie Lam telling the world lies'

Lee Cheuk-yan, secretary of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, said all six soccer pitches, the lawn and even the "emergency vehicles access" area in the park are filled - something he did not expect. 
"The turnout is definitely way bigger than last year,” he says. Organisers put the estimate at 115,000 last year.



Full attendance as crowds spill into nearby areas

Well-known singer Anthony Wong Yiu-ming gives a speech at the vigil, a first for him. He says he came forward because 'one country, two systems' almost does not exist any more. “For the past 30 years, I have never come on this stage. I am not used to joining protests or chanting slogans."
He says he was motivated to come this year and even calls on Hongkongers to take part in the extradition law protest on Sunday. 
He then performed a song about how people’s voices will never be extinguished.



Singer Anthony Wong joins the fold

Lyle Li, a high school student from Shenzhen studying in the US, says he discovered the Tiananmen crackdown from videos on YouTube.
"I was shocked to my core. I had doubts about the way China was run before. Finding out just made me realise there's no hope for this country. How is it that everyone knows except for Chinese youngsters?"
He is attending the vigil with his father Jacky Li, who was a university student in 1989. He did not tell his son about June 4. "This is how the country is," the senior Li says. It was his son who suggested coming to the event. 
Looking at the packed soccer pitches, Jacky Li tears up. "This is really something. Hongkongers have done well in remembering June 4."


'There's no hope for the country'

Veteran journalist Mak Ying-ting witnessed the Chinese military firing at civilians on that fateful night in 1989. She says the Chinese government is dismissing the truth, as she criticised defence minister Wei Fenghe for saying recently that the crackdown was simply "political turmoil".  
“Was it right to open fire on civilians?” Mak asks on stage, and is met with a resounding “no” from the audience. She accuses central authorities of trying to rewrite history by under-reporting the number of people who died. 
Ching Cheong, another industry veteran, says he refuses to accept “lies” from the Chinese government. 



Veteran journalists speak out

Following his performance on stage, singer Anthony Wong Yiu-ming says he is delighted to see the huge turnout in Victoria Park tonight, once more calling on Hongkongers to join Sunday's protest against the extradition bill. "Society today is worse than back in 1989 ... All of us could be extradited to mainland China if the law is passed," he says.
"I just want to remind everybody that the more we fear, the worse the situation will be ... We will become slaves of the regime."


'The more we fear, the worse it will be'

Former Bar Association chairman Paul Shieh Wing-tai is among the crowd, despite a leg injury. He declined a request for comment. 



Former Bar Association chair Paul Shieh spotted

Addressing the crowd, Occupy co-founder Reverend Chu Yiu-ming says Hongkongers have never forgotten about Tiananmen. 
“The people were not armed. They were teenagers,” he adds. Chu extends his gratitude to a former French diplomat in Hong Kong who back then gave French visas to dissidents, allowing some to flee to Europe. 
The reverend calls on Hongkongers not to fear an unjust government. "As long as we stand united and take action, the unjust government will collapse!" he urges. 


Reverend Chu Yiu-ming: We will never forget

Alliance chairman Albert Ho Chun-yan makes a declaration on behalf of the pro-democracy group.
"We must speak for the powerless who have been silenced in China or we will become tyranny’s accomplices," Ho says.
The pro-democracy veteran adds that the government's extradition bill will harm the city's rule of law and the safety of Hongkongers. "For the future of Hong Kong, we must fight to the end."

 


'Fight or become tyranny’s accomplices'

Alvin Chor, 20, David Chung, 19, and Nathan Cheng, 21, (left to right in pic) are three friends attending the vigil for the first time, prompted by the proposed extradition law.
"If the law passes, we won't be safe anymore. Hong Kong will lose its uniqueness," Chor says.
"I feel desperate. This may be the last time we get to express our dissent freely," Chung says on his motivation for attending. Chung studies at City University, while Alvin is a student in Australia. Chung says most of his classmates are not here as they do not seem to care.
"The way that young people are now, Hong Kong will just turn into a city that only cares about money," Chung says.

 


'A city that only cares about money'

Organisers display a banner on stage calling for people to join the June 9 protests against the extradition bill.



Call to join extradition bill protest on June 9

Thirty years after the Tiananmen Square crackdown, dissidents in China and in exile speak about why their wounds have not healed. 


 


Watch our video: the exiled speak up about unhealed wounds

Organisers ended the vigil at 10pm as they called on attendees to join the extradition bill protest on Sunday. They also urged volunteers to stay behind and help clean up the soccer pitches.
As people file out, it takes more than 15 minutes for scores of vigil goers to reach Tin Hau MTR station, just across the road from Victoria Park. Platforms in that station and at Causeway Bay are packed with people. 



Bottlenecks as vigil ends and MTR gets congested

Speaking after the vigil, Albert Ho says the extradition bill may have contributed to the larger than usual numbers. "I am very moved by this immense turnout."
"Seeking vindication for the pro-democracy movement in China and fighting to protect our basic freedom in Hong Kong are tied. There is a common thread."
Ho also says he expects an even larger crowd on June 9 at the protest against the extradition bill. 


Watch out for June 9, organiser says

A few hundred people are marching to the liaison office, calling on the Chinese government to "admit the atrocities committed". 
“Shame on political crackdown! Release all political prisoners and human rights lawyers!” they chant.



As it happened: How ‘record crowds’ turned out for Tiananmen Square 30th anniversary vigil in Hong Kong

Organisers claim turnout exceeds 2012 and 2014 peaks but police estimate crowd was 37,000 at most City's contentious extradition bill also brings out crowds

Organisers claim turnout exceeds 2012 and 2014 peaks but police estimate crowd was 37,000 at most

City's contentious extradition bill also brings out crowds