Beijing responded on Wednesday to the Secretary of State of the United States, Marco Rubio, to say that the world “will never forget” the deadly repression of Tiananmen Square in 1989, describing his comments as a “attack” against China.
The troops and tanks cleared by the Pacific Manifestors of the Plaza Tiananmen de Beijing on June 4, 1989, after a week of demonstrations that demanded greater political freedoms. The exact toll is unknown, but hundreds died, with some estimates greater than 1,000.
Since then, China’s communist rulers have tried to erase any public mention of repression, with censors that clean all online references.
Police was seen by AFP On Wednesday at the entrance of the Wan’an cemetery, a site in West Beijing where it is known that the victims of repression are buried. The officers were also published at several intersections that lead to Tiananmen Square.
On Wednesday night, a bus line and a cherry collector partially blocked screens in the German and Canadian embassies that show candle images, a symbol commonly used to pay tribute to the victims of Tiananmen.
‘Never forget’
Rubio said in a statement that the “world will never forget” what happened on June 4, even when Beijing “actively tries to censor the facts.”
“Today we commemorate the courage of the Chinese people who were killed while trying to exercise their fundamental freedoms, as well as those who continue to suffer persecution while looking for responsibility and justice for the events of June 4, 1989,” Rubio said.
The spokesman of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lin Jian, responded during an informative session in the capital, saying that Beijing had “housed a solemn protest” for the comments of the US politician, that “they distort maliciously historical facts … and seriously interfere in the internal affairs of China.”
The Taiwanese president, Lai Ching-Te, echoed Rubio’s comments, promising to preserve the memory of the victims of blood.
“Authoritarian governments often choose to remain silent and forget history; democratic societies choose to preserve the truth and refuse to forget those who have contributed to the ideal of human rights and their dreams,” Lai said on Facebook.
China states that Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to seize the island democratically by force.
‘Reaffirm our commitment’
In Hong Kong, imprisoned activist Chow Hang-Tung began a hunger strike of 36 hours on Wednesday, an stubborn attempt to individually commemorate the anniversary in a city that was once host of great public memories.
The former lawyer used to organize an annual vigil that attracted tens of thousands to the Victoria Park of the city.
Hong Kong had been the only place under Chinese domain where repression commemoration is tolerated. The slogans in the vigil in the light of the candles sometimes ask for democracy in China and the end of a single party government.
But after the huge protests and sometimes violent passed the city in 2019, Beijing brought a broad national security law that has annulled political dissent.
The public monument has been prohibited and Chow effectively, facing a possible life imprisonment sentence in subversion charges.
On Wednesday, AFP The journalists saw at least seven people taken by the police around the Victoria Park, including two schoolgirls held by Blancas Flores, which often mean in Chinese culture, and a man standing in silent tribute. Some people were arrested and wanted by the police.
“It’s a shame that there is no more [vigils] … In fact, no one will forget [the vigils]”, A man named Yen, 49, who did not give his first name, said AFP.
In recent years, activists have been arrested for “crimes in relation to seditious intention” throughout the anniversary.
In a publication on social networks, Chow said that his hunger strike “would commemorate this day and reaffirm our commitment” and urged the authorities to apologize for their “illicit” imprisonment.
“History tells us that [the apology] It will probably take a long time: Tiananmen’s mothers have been waiting for 36 years and have not yet received an apology, ”he said, referring to an activist group composed of families of victims of repression.
A video with Zhang Xianling, 87, whose 19 -year -old son was killed in 1989, distributed online last week.
China’s authorities have never addressed the supplication of the dialogue group around the subject; Instead, they have used all the means to monitor and house members of the tiananmen mothers, said Zhang.
“The lights in Victoria Park may have been expelled by sellers, but the sparks of justice will shine in the hearts of each conscientious person,” he added.
In a vigil on Wednesday at the Liberty Square de Taipei, said 20 -year -old American student Lara Waldron AFP: “I feel that this June 4 is very close to me at this time.
“As a university student, I am the age of many organizers and participants, people [who] He lost his life in Tiananmen. “
