Tiananmen remembered

last updated 8 January 2015

Hong Kong

Fearing a crackdown on Tiananmen Square in Beijing, protesters gathered instead in Hong Kong last week for the 15th anniversary of the massacre. At least 80,000 demonstrators, many from mainland China, held candles and sang songs at the Hong Kong rally. On the mainland, there was little observance of the anniversary of the day in 1989 when hundreds of students, who had gathered in the square to demand democracy, were shot to death by soldiers or crushed by tanks. Police last week patrolled the square, and several dissidents were locked away for days so they could not lead demonstrations.