More than 30 directly elected district councilors received warnings from the Hong Kong government after they planned events to commemorate victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.

The government’s Home Affairs Department issued warning letters to the councilors, saying they might have breached Hong Kong’s laws by distributing candles to people. The councilors had encouraged others to take part in an unauthorized assembly, and their activities were “unrelated to the District Council’s work” and “undermine district harmony,” the department said.

Many Hongkongers and activists came up with their own ways to mark the anniversary of the June 4, 1989, crackdown last Friday after authorities banned an annual mass candlelit vigil at Victoria Park for a second year.

At least 32 councilors have been warned by the department, according to a straw poll by Apple Daily. Among them were Yau Tsim Mong District Councilor Suzanne Wu and two of her colleagues at the political group Community March, Wu told Apple Daily.

The trio earlier set up street booths to speak about the crackdown. Six councilors from the Democratic Party were also warned for setting up similar booths in public.

Sha Tin District Councilor Vienna Luk was warned after she cited lyrics from Cantopop song “The Great Wall” by rock band Beyond in a Facebook message. The 1992 song describes China as a country where facts and truth were shut up behind walls.

Luk questioned why the department took aim at her for appreciating music.

Two other councilors in Sha Tin, Raymond Li and Thomas Cheung, were warned for displaying a banner that reads “Candle lights will not be out.”

Tsuen Wan District Councilor Lam Sek-tim on Saturday called off an energy saving event after the department sent him a warning letter. In a Facebook message earlier, Lam urged residents to turn off lights for one hour and said he also had a small number of electronic candles to give away. He did not mention the 1989 crackdown.

Officers from the department also conducted an impromptu inspection at the offices of at least four councilors between last Friday and Monday. The department said it had received complaints that the offices were used for purposes other than council duties.

In a reply to Apple Daily, the Home Affairs Department declined to say how many warnings had been issued to district councils over June 4-related activities. It only repeated the line that some activities undermined district harmony and that people might break the law by encouraging others to take part in an unauthorized assembly.

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