A museum in Hong Kong opens exhibition commemorating 4 June Tiananmen Square massacre
The museum commemorating the 4 June, 1989, crackdown in Beijing reopened on Sunday, in advance of this year’s anniversary. In the face of a second year of refusal of permission from authorities on COVID-19 concerns, and the imprisonment of others for last year’s event, this time, organisers said they would not try again, but keep their museum open till 10 pm on 4 June.
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The organiser of Hong Kong’s annual Tiananmen Square candlelight vigil has opened its yearly exhibit of photographs and paraphernalia from the bloody 1989 crackdown in Beijing on those calling for democracy in China. | In the picture: Pictures for past years of people gathered during a candlelight vigil at Victoria Park are displayed at the “June 4 Memorial Museum” run by pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong on Sunday, 30 May, 2021. Photo via The Associated Press/Vincent Yu
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The opening comes even as Hong Kong authorities have for the second year in a row banned the annual 4 June vigil, which normally draws tens of thousands of people into the streets. | In the picture: An eye of an activist shown on a TV screen and a picture depicting a man blocking a line of tanks at the 1989 pro-democracy movement in Beijing are displayed at the “June 4 Memorial Museum” run by pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong on Sunday. Photo via The Associated Press/Vincent Yu
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Authorities have cited the risk of the coronavirus, though the cancellation coincides with a broader crackdown on political activism and dissent in the city. | In the picture: A staff member adjusts exhibits at the “June 4 Memorial Museum” run by pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong on Sunday. Photo via The Associated Press/Vincent Yu
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Organised by The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, the museum each year shows photographs from the 1989 democracy movement as well as pictures from past candlelight commemorations in Hong Kong. | In the picture: An image on a TV screen and a picture on the wall both showing a man blocking a line of tanks at the “June 4 Memorial Museum” run by pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong on Sunday. Photo via The Associated Press/Vincent Yu
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This year, visitors to the museum will also be able to lay flowers in remembrance of the victims who lost their lives in the massacre that took place on 4 June, 1989. | In the picture: A board showing the number of people attending the annual candlelight vigil at Victoria Park in past years is displayed at the “June 4 Memorial Museum”. Photo via The Associated Press/Vincent Yu
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For decades, the semi-autonomous Chinese cities of Hong Kong and Macao were the only places in China where public commemoration of the crackdown was allowed. Authorities in Macao have also cancelled their vigil for a second year. | In the picture: A picture showing a man blocking a line of tanks at the 1989 pro-democracy movement in Beijing is displayed at the “June 4 Memorial Museum” in Hong Kong. Photo via The Associated Press/Vincent Yu
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Despite the ban, thousands still turned up last year in Hong Kong’s Victoria Park to light candles and sing songs. Later, police arrested more than 20 activists who were charged with taking part in an unauthorised assembly. | In the picture: A man walks past a backdrop of a Goddess of Democracy statue at the Tiananmen Square at the “June 4 Memorial Museum”. Photo via The Associated Press/Vincent Yu
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The crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong followed months of anti-government protests that roiled the former British colony in 2019 and shook leaders back in Beijing. | In the picture: A visitor stands next to a cutout of a Goddess of Democracy at the “June 4 Memorial Museum”. Photo via The Associated Press/Vincent Yu
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In the picture: A picture showing a man blocking a line of tanks at the 1989 pro-democracy movement in Beijing is displayed at the “June 4 Memorial Museum”. Photo via The Associated Press/Vincent Yu
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In the picture: A 1989 newspaper on the crackdown of the 4 June, 1989, pro-democracy movement in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square is displayed at the “June 4 Memorial Museum” run by pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong on Sunday, 30 May, 2021. Photo via The Associated Press/Vincent Yu
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