Hong Kongers Mark 13th Anniversary of Tiananmen

Thousands of Hong Kong residents put aside World Cup frenzy for a few hours Tuesday to join a candlelight vigil marking the 13th anniversary of the military assault that crushed democracy demonstrations in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square.

As patriotic songs reverberated amid the surrounding skyscrapers, participants held white candles and filed solemnly into a paved plaza in downtown Victoria Park, exercising rights of speech and assembly forbidden to Chinese on the mainland.

Local media reported that 10,000 Hong Kongers showed up to mourn the crackdown that killed hundreds, perhaps thousands, of unarmed demonstrators on June 4, 1989. Official attendance figures were not available. Last year, 40,000 participated.

“True patriotism is when you stand up for what you believe in, even if it costs you your life. I really respect the Tiananmen demonstrators, and I come each year to bow to them,” said Stephanie Cheung, holding one flickering candle among thousands.

In the Chinese capital, where the regime suppresses all efforts to mark the anniversary, security was tighter than usual around Tiananmen Square. But there were no reports of protests there or elsewhere on the mainland, where most attention appeared focused on the national team’s debut in the World Cup.

Hong Kong’s annual June 4 rallies began in 1989, when more than 1 million residents gathered in protest. With the number dwindling to the thousands, lawmaker and rally organizer Szeto Wah urged those attending to educate the next generation to “take up the baton of democracy” to ensure that the deaths of the protesters are not forgotten.

“We must persist to the end, no matter how difficult the path,” he said.

Amid extensive World Cup coverage in the Ming Pao newspaper was a half-page memorial ringed in black that read, “The memory of June 4 will remain forever.” It was signed by dozens of churches, activist groups and individuals.