TIANANMEN SQUARE JUNE 1989 [Amnesty International UK]

Protesters in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, 1989 © Shao Jiang
This week marks the 26th anniversary of the massacre of hundreds if not thousands of unarmed peaceful pro-democracy protesters in Beijing and the arrest of tens of thousands of demonstrators in cities across China.

The protesters, based in Tiananmen Square in central Beijing, were peacefully calling for political and economic reform. In response, the Chinese authorities responded with overwhelming force to repress the demonstrations.

Military units were brought in and unarmed protesters and onlookers were killed en masse. The Chinese government has never acknowledged the true events surrounding the Tiananmen massacre. It remains a contentious topic in China, with authorities banning all mention of the protest even today.

Events leading up to the Tiananmen protests
From April 1989 people from across China gathered in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square to mourn the death of the liberal Communist Party leader Hu Yaobang and share their frustrations about the slow pace of promised reform.

The gathering turned into peaceful protests which spread across the provinces of China as demonstrators, mainly students, began to call for an end to official corruption and for political and economic reform.

A million demonstrators on the streets
On 13 May, hundreds of student protesters in Tiananmen Square went on hunger strike in order to speed talks with Communist Party leaders. It is estimated that one million people joined the protests in Beijing to express their support for the students on hunger strike and to demand reform.

Martial law declared
Party leaders visited the student protests on 19 May. The protesters ended their hunger strike that evening. However, the next day martial law was declared in Beijing to ‘firmly stop the unrest’.

In the weeks that followed the declaration of martial law, hundreds of thousands of people once again protested on the streets of Beijing, with similar demonstrations taking place in cities across China.

Military open fire on civilians
Doctors carry an injured protester to safety on 5 June C. Memo64

‘The troops are by no means targeted at the students. Under no circumstances will [the troops] harm innocent people, let alone young students.’
Official New China News Agency, 1 May 1989

Overnight on 3 to 4 June, the government sent tens of thousands of armed troops and hundreds of armoured military vehicles into the city centre to enforce martial law and forcibly clear the streets of demonstrators. The government wanted to ‘restore order’ in the capital.

As they approached the demonstrations, troops opened fire on crowds of protesters and onlookers. They gave no warning before they started shooting.

‘The first casualty in the square was rushed away – a girl with her face smashed and bloody, carried spread-eagled towards the trees. Another followed – a youth with a bloody mess around his chest.’
John Gittings, The Guardian
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Please explain how CBOR will withstand the military forces of Trump and McAuliffe.
There seems to be some illusion as to how the current government, an expression of
a flawed and disfunctional economic system, will respond to such a challenge. Each and
every institution of the current government is designed to support and defend it. The voting process implies that choosing between one party or another will actually result in a change in perspective and priorities. If challenged, they will send in troops and
administer “justice”.

Again, test your theory by putting this question on the state ballot to amend the Constitution. See how far it gets, see how people respond to the concept. The piecemeal approach might better be reserved for the Mars Expedition. Certainly well
intended but unrealistic. Those in power will not just walk away and yield to a better
form of government. They learned from Tiananmen as well. Good luck.