Beijing has canceled its annual Hong Kong rally due to the Tiananmen massacre

The Chinese Communist Party is ready to shut down the last public event held in Beijing-controlled territory The Tiananmen Square massacre – a goal that has eluded him for more than three decades.

The annual candlelight in Victoria Park, Hong Kong, usually attracts tens of thousands of people to commemorate those killed in Beijing on June 4, 1989, when pro-democracy protesters and their supporters crushed protests in the Chinese capital.

Meanwhile last year’s vigil it was banned by Hong Kong police on public health grounds as the territory fought the Covid-19 pandemic, while thousands of people still gathered to light candles as police watched.

This year’s meeting on Friday is also banned due to the pandemic. Activists believe Hong Kong will not take any more massive mass defiance action after imposing National Security Act last year he received harsh punishments for subversion against the state and other crimes.

The vigil, held since 1990, is considered highly symbolic of Hong Kong’s liberties, showing the city’s spirit of independence around the world. It became one of the most important events of the year for pro-democracy groups, with families going to light candles and sing songs.

Many believe the security law will not be able to make a reminder of the future even after the pandemic has receded.

“With this step Hong Kong is getting closer to becoming another Chinese city,” said Minxin Pei, a China expert at Claremont McKenna College in California. “This year they can hide behind the pandemic. Next year, they will use another excuse. “

A mainland academic who advises Beijing on Hong Kong’s political issues has said the Chinese government cannot accept the vigil.

“The Assembly has a political purpose and is contrary to the National Security Act, which prohibits the revolution of state power,” the person said. “It’s not a simple meeting.”

If the assembly creates a “political turmoil,” China must be alert, he said.

Dozens of activists and some of those who took part in the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong two years ago – as well as last year’s banned vigil – are in jail for taking part in or organizing unauthorized protests. Many of them are awaiting trial for alleged violations of the National Security Act, which faces life sentences.

Claudia Mo’s recent bail application, one of 47 defendants in a mass subversion judgment, who refused after prosecutors pointed out interviews with the Western media. The prosecution cited WhatsApp messages and TV interviews, in which it said the National Security Act caused “political chills” in the territory.

Many Hong Kong residents, however, will celebrate their 32nd anniversary in Tiananmen this year by lighting candles in private.

Detained veteran democracy activist and vigilante organizer Lee Cheuk-yan in jail during the 2019 protests, he told friends he would send smoke signals from prison with a light cigarette.

“June 4 symbolizes the freedom of Hong Kong,” said Chow Hang-tung, a lawyer and vice president of the Hong Kong Alliance for the Support of China’s Democratic People’s Democratic Movement, which organizes the vigil. “There is a high risk of any kind of political participation today. [the authorities] people are controlling it with fear. “

But he added that “the strength accumulated within each person for 32 years is not so easy to crush.”

Chow said the government was still using the pandemic as an excuse, instead of banning recall for national security reasons, “because the reaction would be horrific.”

Richard Tsoi, another member of the alliance, argued that this year’s memorabilia “although less visible, we can save our strength and [hopefully] have the ability to mourn in the future ”.

Willy Lam, a Chinese expert at the University of China in Hong Kong, said he expects little pain to appear, although he is likely to be most disappointed by the government’s “tough tactics” and threats of imprisonment.

Many pro-Beijing figures in Hong Kong say the goals of the alliance defending China’s “end to a one-party dictatorship” violate the National Security Act.

“I don’t agree with those who use this event to promote a subversive agenda,” Ronny Tong said. Carrie Lam, CEO of Hong Kong. Regina Ip, another pro-Beijing politician, said the event was being used as a “big stick to crush China”.

Others at the Hong Kong establishment, however, fear that the Lam administration has gone too far in its efforts to satisfy Beijing.

A broader effort is being made to review how Hong Kong and Chinese history are taught in the territory. School curricula are being rewritten and a local museum was temporarily closed on June 4 after officials accused it of violating local laws on Wednesday night.

“It’s getting worse,” said a veteran member of the pro-Beijing political camp in the territory who believes the repression has been excessive. “Beijing can’t even support a dissident voice.”

Additional report by Xinning Liu in Beijing