Light a candle and mourn June 4 victims wherever you are, say activists
A couple of Hong Kong activists have resolved to light a candle to mourn victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre in any form anywhere in the city, despite the government’s ban on the annual mass vigil for the second year running.
Both Crystal Chow and
Chow Hang-tung have played a part in keeping the flame burning since childhood and cannot see themselves caving in to the ever-encroaching controls by those in authority.
Former student activist Crystal Chow, 34, was just a child when she tagged along with the rest of the family to the public June 4 anniversary commemoration at Victoria Park in Causeway Bay.
While in secondary school, she volunteered for the vigil organizer, Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, helping to hold the candlelight gathering and going on stage to share her views about the student-led democracy movement in Beijing and the subsequent military crackdown on the civilian protesters.
Then as a university undergraduate, her participation in the alliance receded as she took on more roles in other social movements. Still, the yearly June 4 commemorative event remained on her to-do list, and she continued to deliver speeches at the park rally until 2009.
Crystal’s steadfastness cannot be said to stem from vivid memories of the June 4 incident, as she was only three years old in 1989. And yet, she insists that the mourning must go on.
The format of the event is a strength in itself, she says. Images of a sea of lit candles provide a powerful symbol and a formulaic representation of the vigil every year, “and are most hated by the Communist Party.”
Under the shadow of Hong Kong’s daunting national security law, Crystal believes that residents must safeguard the legacy and carry on with the commemoration, but it does not have to take place in Victoria Park since officials have barred the use of the venue. What is more important was for the spirit of continuation to prevail, she says.
In a similar vein, Chow Hang-tung is unable to allow herself to be at a loose end on June 4. Her studies abroad did not get in the way of her organizing seminars on the day to talk about the Tiananmen Square massacre, for instance.
“Every year, my mom would take me to the candlelit vigil. It has been a habit since I was a child and cannot be missed,” says Hang-tung, now vice chairperson of the alliance.
June 4 was the start of getting to know China, and after graduation, she traveled to the mainland and participated in a number of labor and civil rights campaigns.
A barrister by profession, Hang-tung’s civil rights work in China has lasted for a decade by now. The experience tells her the necessity of “being seen to do the work,” especially as the mainland is increasingly driving rights activities underground.
Activists will find it difficult to persist if they think they are alone in the struggle, and the masses will be clueless about what is going on, with only the government’s narrative left in the public domain, she says.
Hang-tung is worried that Hong Kong is heading down the same path. She acknowledges being scared when society is in a state of fear, but she has told herself to keep the faith and run the race.
“To conduct a powerful movement, you have to accept the risks. The regime suppresses you because you have influence,” she says.
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