Amid Children’s Festival, China Praises ’89 Crackdown

Chinese authorities Friday praised last year’s military crackdown on the democracy movement and told thousands of schoolchildren that they owe their right to assemble in Tian An Men Square to the valor of the army.

The comments came during International Children’s Day celebrations held in Beijing’s Tian An Men Square, the heart of massive student-led democracy protests crushed by the army last June 3-4.

As the anniversary of the crackdown approached, the northern half of the square, including the Monument to the People’s Heroes, was cordoned off Friday for organized children’s activities.

The sensitive area was to remain closed to the public “these few days” except to those with special passes, according to one of the scores of paramilitary guards standing guard at the entrances to the square.

“A year ago today, Tian An Men Square was covered by black clouds,” said Beijing Communist Youth League leader Qiang Wei in an apparent reference to huge demonstrations and a three-week student occupation of the square last spring.

Qiang was addressing several thousand Chinese children standing in formation on the square.

“A few who wanted to convert China to capitalism carried out activities here and deprived you of your right to celebrate your festival,” he said in a speech broadcast on state television.

“It is the brave People’s Liberation Army who . . . quelled the turmoil and counterrevolutionary rebellion and took back the square. This makes it possible to celebrate here,” Qiang said.

Hundreds of police patrolled the square Friday. Foreign journalists were subjected to tight security checks because of the appearance of China’s top two officials, Premier Li Peng and Communist Party General Secretary Jiang Zemin.

Around the Monument to the People’s Heroes in the center of the square, balloons carried streamers reading, “Long live the great Communist Party” and “Long live our great socialist motherland.”

The nightly news broadcast featured children singing, dancing, and goose-stepping in formation in organized activities in Beijing and other cities around the country.

Some residents of Beijing, where resentment of the hard-line government runs deep, derided the lavish celebration.

“It’s disgusting. People aren’t that stupid,” an intellectual said of the strategically timed activities.

Last year’s Children’s Day celebrations in Beijing were carried out on a subdued scale, overshadowed by the democracy movement that began on college campuses and spread nationwide.