On June 4 every year since 1989, come rain or shine, candles are lit up across Hong Kong to commemorate only one thing.

On that fateful night, tanks rolled into Tiananmen Square in Beijing and troops opened fire on young demonstrators fighting for democracy and political freedom. Thousands were said to have been killed, although still no official death toll has been made to this day.

This year, police refused permission for the annual rally, citing social gathering restrictions due to the ongoing pandemic. Others saw it as a sign of China’s tightening grip on the city and a further erosion of its freedoms and autonomy.

Despite fears that a looming national security law may make this year’s rally the last, some people are fighting to keep the flame and memories alive, as told to Next Magazine.

Lee Cheuk-yan, chairperson of Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China

“The ban on this year’s June 4 vigil is an apparent attack made by Chinese authorities on Hong Kong’s freedoms that we have always held dear to.

“I remember in 1997, before Hong Kong’s handover back to Chinese rule, I had told everyone that the vigil must go on, because who knows if we would be our last.

“We have been doing this for thirty years without rest, but who knows what lies ahead now.

“If you look at the June 4 incident and anti-government protests in Hong Kong, both generations have one thing in common — they were both fighting for democracy.

“Both generations are also fighting to tell the truth, trying to free themselves from the web of lies being spun by authorities.

“In Beijing, authorities first said no one had died and had later changed it to say 23 students had died on the square.

“In Hong Kong, the Independent Police Complaints Council’s report said the police’s use of force during last year’s anti-government protests had met international guidelines. They are all trying to use lies to cover up the truth. We need to fight those lies with the truth.

“I clearly remember after the massacre at Tiananmen Square, the people of Beijing had told me: ‘You Hong Kongers need to tell the truth.’ That is what we have been doing for all these years and it is our duty to carry on with it as a Hong Konger.”

Thomas, 15, Hong Kong student

“I have been filming live broadcasts on the protest frontlines or doing editing work since March.

“Having been a student reporter, I start to realise that what we can learn from books about the June 4 incident may be far from what had really happened on the ground.

“Even though 30 years have passed, I see history repeat itself in Hong Kong. Students have been hit by tear gas, rubber bullets and even real bullets. Both generations have faced and are facing suppression from the government who seem to believe that violence is a solution to the problem. Like mainland China, Hong Kong authorities are seeking to erase traces of the past with their own version of the truth.

“Although I am still young, I believe we all have the ability and the duty to document the truth. Each lens of the camera is like capturing a small puzzle piece. But the more puzzle pieces you collect, one day you will have enough to piece together a whole picture. One day, we will be able to piece together the truth.”

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