The 36th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown passed quietly across most of China on Tuesday, with tight security in place and no public remembrance. The ruling Communist Party maintains strict control over the narrative of the events, which it refers to as “political turmoil,” and continues to suppress public discussion or commemoration.
In Beijing, the area around Tiananmen Square was heavily guarded, as it is every year during this time. The crackdown, ordered by then-leader Deng Xiaoping, came after weeks of student-led protests demanding democratic reforms. On the night of June 3-4, 1989, the military was deployed to clear the square using live ammunition. Soldiers fired on crowds that attempted to block their advance. Hundreds, possibly thousands, were killed, including civilians and some soldiers.
Over the years, Chinese authorities have worked to erase the events from public memory. References to the crackdown are removed from the internet, and any public tribute is banned. In recent years, these restrictions have extended to Hong Kong, where a large candlelight vigil was once held annually in Victoria Park. The vigil was banned during the COVID-19 pandemic, and its organizers were later arrested. This year, Hong Kong police detained several people near the park, including a woman holding flowers, a man praying, and another wearing a T-shirt calling for justice for June 4. Police said ten people were taken for questioning, with three still in custody late Wednesday.
Some embassies in Beijing attempted to mark the anniversary. The British and German embassies posted videos on Weibo, though the content was later removed. The Canadian and German missions displayed candle images on large public screens. The U.S. and British consulates in Hong Kong also showed visual tributes, including a message from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who accused the Communist Party of trying to censor history.
In Taiwan, where freedom of speech is protected, people openly marked the anniversary. President Lai Ching-te used the occasion to contrast Taiwan’s democratic values with China’s authoritarian rule. He said democracies preserve historical truth, while authoritarian regimes try to silence it. Lai emphasized that Taiwan, which shifted from authoritarianism to democracy beginning in the late 1980s, must continue to defend its freedoms. Taiwan is self-governed but claimed by China, and relies on support from the U.S. and other democracies to counter threats from Beijing.
Hundreds gathered Wednesday evening in Taipei’s Freedom Square for a candlelight vigil. A replica of the “Pillar of Shame,” a sculpture that once stood in Hong Kong as a memorial to the victims, stood at the center of the event. One attendee, a Taiwanese professor who witnessed the 1989 crackdown in person, said remembering the event is vital not only for history, but for understanding the current state of rights in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
A vigil organizer, who identified herself only as Mimi, said that even though many of those present were born after the events of 1989, remembering remains a powerful act of resistance. She said preserving the memory is essential to continuing the fight for human rights and democratic values.
