Mainlanders Defy Authorities To Attend Hong Kong Tiananmen Vigil

Thousands of candles flickered under leaden Hong Kong skies on Tuesday evening, and among those holding them were Chinese mainlanders, determined to breach the censorship and taboos that surround paying tribute to Tiananmen's fallen back home

Hong Kong, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 4th Jun, 2019 ) :Thousands of candles flickered under leaden Hong Kong skies on Tuesday evening, and among those holding them were Chinese mainlanders, determined to breach the censorship and taboos that surround paying tribute to Tiananmen's fallen back home.

Hong Kong's annual vigil is the only place in China were mass commemorations can be safely held, the huge crowds in Victoria Park a testimony to freedoms that are denied to so many on the Chinese mainland.

Inside China itself the anniversary was marked with a wall of silence and extra security, with authorities arresting activists and tightening internet censorship ahead of the politically sensitive anniversary.

Yet Chinese mainlanders still made their way across the border to attend Hong Kong's commemoration.

There they heard fiery speeches calling for the end of one-party rule -- and learnt more about an event authorities in China have tried to scrub from the public's consciousness.

One woman from Beijing, who gave the surname Zhao, said she remembered being taken to Tiananmen during the protests by her mother, and that her uncle had joined the movement early on.

"They said this moment would be written down in history," she told AFP.

Instead, it was written out of China's history books.

"I feel grateful that Hong Kongers have continued to hold this vigil for 30 years," she said.

- Worried about repercussions - Another man, who gave his surname as Xiao and said he hailed from the city of Chengdu, said this was his first time at the vigil.

He admitted he was worried about the possible repercussions of authorities in China finding out he attended.

"I'm scared I might be blacklisted, that they might come after me when I get back" he said.

"But if no-one speaks out, China can't make progress," he added.

Hour before the evening vigil a museum in the city dedicated to the Tiananmen protests was filled with visitors, including many from the mainland.

One man from Beijing, who declined to give his name, said he had travelled "in secret" to Hong Kong from the "high pressure" that blankets the capital to learn more about what happened on June 4, 1989 and to attend the vigil for the first time.

"This happened in Beijing but (the memorial) has to be carried out by Hong Kongers. As a mainlander I feel guilty," he told AFP.

Under Xi Jinping, China has ramped up state surveillance using an arsenal of new technology, including facial recognition which is now commonplace on the mainland.

A man visiting the museum surnamed Li, who was visiting from southern China, said he was not afraid to take part in the commemorations.

"Facial recognition is very advanced now, basically they'll know who you are in a few seconds... But I don't think we're at a point where people would be arrested (for commemorating June 4)," he told AFP.

"I've never been to the Victoria Park candlelight vigil. I came here just to take part in it today, to fulfill a wish. It's been many years," he said.

"The precious thing about Hong Kong is that there are people commemorating this for 30 years continuously," Li added.