For the second year in a row, the sea of candles illuminating Hong Kong’s Victoria Park every June 4 was extinguished as authorities tried to remove all public remembrance of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre of the United States. city, the last place in the city. The Chinese controlled the land where they were detained.
But the strong police presence on Saturday could not deter some Hong Kongers from approaching the park and carrying out their own defiant commemoration acts: raising electronic candles and telephone lanterns or silently singing memorial songs.
“It’s heartbreaking to see (Victoria Park) like that,” said a woman named Lau who arrived at the park with a bouquet of white and red roses and candles.
“Hong Kong has sunk far and wide into a police state,” said Lau, a longtime volunteer at the Tiananmen Mothers’ Campaign, a group that supports the families of the victims.
For three decades, Hong Kong had mourned the victims of China’s bloody military crackdown on pro-democracy protesters with a candlelight vigil on the night of June 4 attended by tens of thousands of people who vowed never to forget.
But since 2020, the Hong Kong government has banned the event citing coronavirus risks, though many Hong Kongers believe this is just an excuse to crack down on signs of public dissent following pro-democracy protests that wiped out the city in 2019.
On Friday, a government statement said large parts of Victoria Park would be closed from Friday night until Sunday morning to “prevent any unauthorized meeting that would affect public safety and law and order, and to prevent the risk of virus transmission due to these concentrations “. . ”
It came a day after police warned residents were at risk of committing the crime of “illegal congregation” if they showed up at the park, even though they were alone.
Throughout Saturday, a large number of police patrolled the park and the neighboring Causeway Bay shopping district.
Among those who stopped and searched were people dressed in black, the color of the protest in Hong Kong, carrying flowers or walking with their phone flashlights on.
Police later confirmed that they had arrested five men and a woman, aged between 19 and 80. One was accused of possessing an offensive weapon; three were charged with obstructing officers; and it was said that one incited others to join an unauthorized assembly. It was unclear what the sixth person was accused of.
Police also cordoned off an area of a nearby shopping street where pro-democracy activists had gathered in previous years to promote the vigil, sending some passersby to be searched.
Still, some people were determined to visit the park and make their own small commemorative gestures.
Lau, a volunteer for the Tiananmen Mothers Campaign, raised a candle to take a picture in front of the barricaded football field. She said she and her classmates had been handing out candles to Hong Kongers all afternoon, according to the group’s tradition.
“I think the vigil is the most important symbol of the freedom of the people of Hong Kong: it shows the world our unwavering determination. I think we all have a lighted candle in our hearts tonight, whether we decide to go out or not. ., “she said.
After the night, police closed more areas of the park, expelling residents with advanced cordon lines. Eventually, all entrances were blocked, allowing people to just leave the park.
Inside the park, two women sang “Democracy Will Succeed and Come Back,” one of the traditional songs of the evening, as they walked down a jogging path. Police continued not far behind, pushing the cordon line forward.
Brian, a 30-year-old man dressed entirely in black, turned on his phone’s flashlight at 8 p.m., the traditional time to turn it on. He did so despite being searched by police while sitting in the park in the early hours of the evening, when officers searched his ID number. He said he was willing to pay the price.
“The government does not want us to tell the truth. If we do not leave, I am concerned that future generations of Hong Kong will not know more about June 4,” he said.
Outside the park, people who could no longer enter were walking through the nearby streets, some with their phone lights on.
Joe, 46, took his 11-year-old daughter to the park, but was denied entry. Instead, they stopped at a bus stop on the other side of the road, each with an electric candle.
“Candles are a symbol of Hong Kong’s memory, but now it seems like even grabbing them could be dangerous,” he said.
Still, he was glad he had brought his daughter. “I want to let him know what happened then, as much as I can,” he said.