Hong Kong police detained at least eight people June 3 for allegedly attempting to hold public vigils commemorating the Tiananmen Square massacre. Victoria Park, the site of the massive annual commemoration which is now suspended due to the crackdown in the city since 2020, was meanwhile the scene of a fair promoting unity with China. (The Guardian, WaPo) However, prominent activist Chow Hang-tung, who has been imprisoned since her arrest in 2021 for promoting an “unauthorized assembly” commemorating the massacre that year, announced a 34-hour hunger strike—one hour for each year since June 4, 1989, known in China as “6-4.” (Reuters)
Chow Hang-tung’s “unauthorized assembly” conviction was overturned on appeal in December, but she remains in custody on other charges related to the National Security Law. (BBC News)
Image via Twitter
More 6-4 sweeps in Hong Kong
Hong Kong police detained more than 20 people, including prominent pro-democracy figures, on the 34th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. Among the arrested is 67-year-old Alexandra Wong, a popular campaigner nicknamed “Grandma Wong.” (The Guardian, BBC News)
There were reports of scattered symbolic protests in mainland China. On Twitter, images went viral showing a woman in Beijing waving an American flag and throwing sheets of paper with text from the US Declaration of Independence.
The Tiananmen Mothers repeated their call for “truth, compensation and accountability” in an online statement in late May. However, the document cannot be seen in China due to internet censorship. (Mainichi)