 "History Today: When the Tiananmen Square massacre marked one of the bloodiest chapters in modern China")
June 3 marks several significant events in history, including the crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in 1989, the pioneering spacewalk by American astronaut Edward H White II in 1965, and the terrorist attack on London’s iconic bridge in 2017.
Tiananmen Square protests and massacre
The seeds of the Tiananmen Square protests were sown with the death of Hu Yaobang on April 15, 1989. Hu, a former General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, was known for his progressive views and advocacy for political reform.
His passing ignited a wave of mourning among students and intellectuals, who saw in him a symbol of the potential for change within China’s political system.
In the days following his death, students gathered in Tiananmen Square to honour Hu’s memory and to voice broader demands for political reform, freedom of speech, and an end to government corruption.
Their numbers swelled rapidly, and by mid-May, the protests had attracted a diverse coalition of participants, including workers, journalists and civil servants.
The movement’s momentum was further bolstered by the presence of foreign media in Beijing, there to cover the visit of Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. The international attention brought by this visit amplified the protesters’ voices on the global stage.
As the protests grew, so did the Chinese government’s concern. Internal debates raged within the Communist Party, with moderates like Zhao Ziyang advocating for dialogue, while hardliners, including then Premier Li Peng and paramount leader Deng Xiaoping, pushed for a more forceful response.
On May 20, the government declared martial law in Beijing, deploying approximately 250,000 troops to the capital. Despite this show of force, the protesters remained undeterred, maintaining their occupation of Tiananmen Square and erecting a 10-metre-tall “Goddess of Democracy” statue as a symbol of their aspirations.
The situation reached a boiling point on the night of June 3. As troops advanced towards the square, they encountered resistance from citizens who erected barricades and pleaded with soldiers to refrain from violence.
However, the military pressed on, using tanks and live ammunition to clear the area. Eyewitness accounts describe scenes of chaos and brutality, with soldiers firing indiscriminately into crowds and crushing protesters under armoured vehicles.
The exact death toll from the crackdown remains unknown, with estimates ranging from several hundred to several thousand.
In the immediate aftermath, the Chinese government launched a widespread campaign to arrest and silence those involved in the protests. Many student leaders were imprisoned or forced into exile, and a significant political purge ensued within the Communist Party.
Internationally, the massacre was met with widespread condemnation. Governments around the world imposed economic sanctions and arms embargoes on China.
The United States suspended military sales and high-level exchanges with Chinese officials, while the European Community imposed an arms embargo that remains in effect to this day.
In the decades since the Tiananmen Square massacre, the Chinese government has maintained strict control over information related to the events of June 1989.
References to the protests are heavily censored in media and online platforms within China, and public commemorations are prohibited. Despite this, the memory of the protests endures, particularly in Hong Kong, where annual vigils were held until recent years.
One of the most enduring images from the protests is that of “Tank Man,” an unidentified individual who stood in front of a column of tanks on June 5, 1989.
Captured by Western photographers, this act of defiance became a symbol of resistance against oppression. The identity and fate of “Tank Man” remain unknown, and the image is banned in China.
Edward H White II: First American spacewalk
On June 3, 1965, NASA astronaut Edward H White II made history by becoming the first American to perform a spacewalk.
During the Gemini 4 mission, White exited the spacecraft and floated in space for approximately 23 minutes, maneuvering with a hand-held oxygen jet gun. He was tethered to the capsule by a 25-foot umbilical cord.
White’s extravehicular activity (EVA) was a significant milestone in the US space programme, demonstrating the feasibility of astronauts working outside their spacecraft.
His successful spacewalk paved the way for future missions, including the Apollo moon landings.
London Bridge terrorist attack
In the evening of June 3, 2017, London witnessed a terrorist attack. At approximately 10:00 pm, three attackers drove a van into pedestrians on London Bridge before crashing near Borough Market.
They then exited the vehicle and began stabbing people in nearby restaurants and bars.
The attack lasted about eight minutes, resulting in eight deaths and numerous injuries. The assailants were shot and killed by police at the scene.
In the aftermath, the city mourned the victims, and security measures were heightened across the UK.
With inputs from agencies
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