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Rachel Cheung

Jun 4, 2021 • 16 tweets • 7 min read • Read on X

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#JuneFourth: an elderly man was surrounded by over two dozen police officers outside Victoria Park just for holding banners that said conscience.

Last year, hundreds showed up at the Victoria Park, defying a ban to commemorate the #TiananmenSquareMassacre. This year, police sealed off the park, blocked cross harbour tunnels and reportedly deploy up to 7,000 officers across the city, to ensure it wouldn’t happen again.

“It’s a pity we cannot participate in the vigil this year,” said Lit Ming-wai, producer of May 35th, an award winning drama on June Fourth. She is bringing the flowers to attend the mass. “This will only make us remember this better.”

Lit was led away by police for a search.

Another woman holding a bouquet of flowers was stopped and searched. An officer told they have reasonable suspicion because of the flowers.

A woman stopped and searched outside the park for holding a tiny candlelight.

A man with a shirt that says “we are getting closer to vindicating June Fourth” and a stack of newspapers was asked by police officers to mind which page and headline he is displaying.

Police’s loudspeakers are blasting social distancing rules, but the booth for League of Social Democrats continues to play songs commemorating the Tiananmen Square massacre.

Firefighters arrived and opened the hydrant for reason unknown. The booth was forced to move.

Police unfurled banners, warning people they are violating the law by gathering. People chanted protest slogans in response as they scattered. Unable to light candles, many people walk around with the torchlight on their phone.

“It’s a tradition. Police can say whatever they want. It’s not illegal to light candles.”

Walk around Victoria Park and you will find signs everywhere that tell you people have not forgotten: a placard that says “nothing happened on June Fourth”; graffiti and digital display of candles; torchlight on phones.

Dressed in white uniform meant for mourning and yellow hats to symbolise the candlelight, three visual arts students wanted to present a performance art, but were scattered by police before they could. They also brought scrolls for ppl to paint on.

Officers surrounded a plastic candle left on a pole, but eventually left it alone

Activist Alexandra Wong remains defiant

Police back to their old tactics of cordoning off a stretch of the street to stop and search people, particularly youngsters dressed in black.

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Chan in his sixties was told by police that he could be deemed as part of unauthorised assembly because of a plastic candlelight, which he has used for years. In return, he advised them to quit their jobs.