STAY AWAY

Hong Kong Bans Tiananmen Square Vigil for First Time in Three Decades

Police refused to give permission for this year’s rally to go ahead, citing coronavirus restrictions amid deeper questions about new China moves for control.

An annual Hong Kong vigil for the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre will not take place this year—the first time it won’t go ahead since the first event in 1990. The memorial commemorates the massacre in which Chinese troops attacked pro-democracy protesters in Beijing, killing hundreds and possibly thousands. The image of the “Tank Man” defying the troops on the square became one of the most famous photographs of the 20th century. A candlelit vigil has been held each year since 1990 in Hong Kong’s Victoria Park. But police refused to give permission for this year’s rally to go ahead, citing coronavirus restrictions on gatherings of more than eight people. However, while the pandemic is the official reason for the ban, it comes during a fresh wave of anti-Beijing protests in Hong Kong after China proposed a new security bill for the city that would prosecute acts it considers sedition.