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‘Light candles wherever you are’: June 4 vigil organizers urge as annual event banned

蘋果日報 2020/06/04 12:48


People in Hong Kong are encouraged to light candles across the city to commemorate the Tiananmen Square crackdown as the annual vigil in Victoria Park has been banned by the police for the first time in 30 years.
The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China said members would still gather at Victoria Park to light candles on Thursday. The event would be livestreamed online to the public from 8 pm, alliance chair Lee Cheuk-yan said as he called on Hong Kongers to participate, wherever they were.
He added that candles would be distributed at street corners and the offices of pro-democracy councilors in various districts across the city, starting from the morning.
The Alliance has adopted “Fight for Truth, Freedom and Life” as the main topic for this year’s vigil. Opposition to the national security law in Hong Kong, which has caused much unrest and furor, will also be a major theme.
As in previous years, the memorial will include videos, speeches, chants and songs about democracy. A moment of silence will be observed at 8.09 p.m. Organizers called for participants to upload photos to social media and tag them with “#6431truth”.
Lee said he expected that some would still gather at Victoria Park to mourn the victims of the 1989 crackdown against student protestors in Beijing despite the ban. He said that he could not dismiss the possibility of the government taking measures to restrict people from gathering. Still, he urged the public to take part in commemorative activities.
The Victoria Park vigil has not been the only event that has been banned by local authorities. Earlier, the police rejected an application submitted by the Hong Kong Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood to hold a candlelight gathering at the Maple Street Playground in Sham Shui Po district.
Yeung Chun-po, the deputy commander of Sham Shui Po police division, said the application was rejected on the basis that the event could increase the spread of COVID-19. The decision was upheld by the Appeal Board on Public Meetings and Processions. Yeung added that any persons participating in banned events would be punishable by law and faced possible imprisonment. He emphasized that the law would be strictly enforced.
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