32nd Anniversary Tiananmen Square Protests
Written by:Chayapa Preechayanpanich | Edited by: Kamonnat Setpattanachai | Designed by: Pat Sevikul
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32nd Anniversary Tiananmen Square Protests
Page 2: A Brief History of the 1989 Tiananmen Square Protest
On April 15th, 1989, the death of former CCP general secretary and liberal Hu Yaobang brought about nationwide gloominess and later triggered protests. The protesters expressed their dissatisfaction with the government of Deng Xiaoping. Although major economic reformation under Deng Xiaoping’s leadership caused growing economic prosperity, there were also many issues resulting from a fast-growing economy, including income inequality, inflation, unemployment, and party corruption.
Page 3: A Brief History of the 1989 Tiananmen Square Protest
Finally, the government decided to commit a severe crackdown on the protesters from the night of June 3rd, 1989 to the dawn of the 4th. No one knows the exact number of deaths from that state crime. Many elite youth protesters were captured. At the same time, other ordinary citizens and workers were killed.
Page 4: What Happened This Year?
Pro-democracy Activist Chow Hang Tung Was Arrested by Hong Kong Police on the 32nd Anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square Crackdown
Chow Hung Tung, Vice Chairwoman of the Hong Kong Alliance who annually organizes vigils for the victims of Beijing’s deadly crackdown, was arrested this year for “promoting unauthorized assembly,” punishable with up to five years in prison. Despite the ban of the vigil, huge crowds gathered in Hong Kong’s Victoria Park to mark the anniversary of the massacre.
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Taiwan President said Taiwanese Will Never Forget China’s Tiananmen Crackdown
On Friday, June 4th, 2021, President Tsai Ing-wen wrote on her Facebook page that Taiwanese people who are proud of their freedom and democracy will never forget what had happened. Moreover, Taiwan Mainland Affairs Council also urged China to return power to the people and begin political reform rather than avoid facing up to the crackdown.
Page 6: Microsoft Says ‘Tank Man’ Image Blocking is Due to Human Error
The ‘Tank Man’ image is widely known as a picture of a man standing before tanks in Tiananmen Square in June 1989. On Friday, June 4th, the image suddenly disappeared in Bing search. However, Microsoft responded that the issue was “due to an accidental human error and we are working to resolve it.” On the other hand, Kenneth Roth, the director of Human Rights Watch, said he found the idea “hard to believe.” The ‘Tank Man’ image then began appearing on Microsoft Bing again several hours after the report.
Page 7: Social Media Account of Xiaohongshu is Blocked After a Tiananmen Post
On Friday, June 4th, 2021, the social media account of Xiaohongshu, a popular Chinese e-commerce site, posted on microblogging platform Weibo, “Tell me loudly: what's the date today?” then quickly deleted. Xiaohongshu's official account is now unavailable on the Weibo platform due to “complaints of violations of laws and regulations and the relevant provisions of the Weibo Community Convention.”
Page 8: Do Chinese People Know About This Incident?
The discussion of the 1989 Tiananmen Square Protests is highly sensitive. China's Communist Party has worked hard to erase the memory of the massacre by strict censorship. Even little information related to the event was removed from the Internet by Chinese censors. This forbidden knowledge was also blown out from a history lesson. Even though some students try to find the truth, most younger generations who didn't live through the protests are not aware of what happened.
Page 9: How Much Does The Global Community Pay Attention to This Tragic History?
At that time, The United States, members of the European Community, and international condemnation were quick with their disapproval and sanctions against China. However, economic engagement swiftly resumed, and sanctions were lifted. President George H.W. Bush, though publicly condemned the massacre, secretly sought to preserve America's relationship with China. After that, many countries continued their economic relationship with China normally, which contributed to China’s continuous economic growth for the next three decades.
Page 10: Humanity or Capitalism
After 32 years, the international community still commercially keeps in touch with China, ignoring China’s brutal action that is the Tiananmen Massacre, similar to how they have been ignoring the cruelty of Uyghur labor in Xinjiang, 2019 Hong Kong Extradition Bill, and One China Policy. It is time that we should reconsider where our priority lies: humanity or economic relations.
Sources:
ThoughtCo. (What caused the Tiananmen Square Protests)
BBC (Tiananmen Square: What happened in the protests of 1989)
TIME (Young Chinese Recall When They First Learned of Tiananmen)
SpokeDark TV (ทำไมเราไม่ควรลืมเหตุการณ์ที่จัตุรัสเทียนอันเหมิน | Why we will not forget Tian An Men)
NBR (The impact of Tiananmen on China's Foreign Policy)
The Washington Post (Opinion: The world failed after Tiananmen Square. We must not fail Hong Kong now)
Reuters (Social media account of China's Xiaohongshu goes dark after Tiananmen anniversary post)
BBC (Microsoft says error caused ‘Tank Man’ Bing censorship)
Reuters (Taiwan will never forget China’s Tiananmen crackdown, says President)
BBC (Hong Kong vigil organiser arrested on 32nd anniversary)