Lighting a candle for Tiananmen and Hong Kong freedoms
A Hong Kong tradition mourning the victims of the 1989 crackdown in Beijing is under threat. …
Every 4 June for the past three decades, tens of thousands of Hongkongers have gathered in a park to hold a candlelight vigil, mourning those killed in the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown in Beijing.
The incident, also known as “June Fourth”, is considered highly politically sensitive in the mainland. Hong Kong has been one of the very few places in China which has allowed public commemoration – but now this tradition is under threat.
Authorities have banned the event for the second year in a row. They’ve cited Covid concerns – but activists fear it is part of an ongoing crackdown on Hong Kong freedoms including arrests of activists.
Chow Hang Tung, vice-chairperson of the vigil’s organiser Hong Kong Alliance, has been calling for those in the city to light candles.
She spoke to the BBC several days before her arrest on the morning of 4 June.
Video by Wei Wang and Lam Cho Wai of BBC Chinese. Additional production by Tessa Wong.
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