About 25 activists gathered outside Sogo Department
Store and marched to the New China News Agency to
commemorate the 23rd Anniversary of the Tiananmen
Square Incident. There was a very brief scuffle in front
of the News Agency when the police blocked the
protesters from placing a wreath at the front door.
Traditionally, April 5 is the Ching Ming Festival
according to the Lunar Calendar, which is the day for
paying respect to the ancestors, the day for the Chinese
people to visit the ancestors' graves. It was on this day
23 years ago that tens of thousands of Beijing citizens
went to Tiananmen Square to voice out their grievances
against Mao Zetung and the Gang of Four. It ended in
bloodshed when the authorities cracked down on the
people.
The event kicked off with the activists shouting slogans
like, "Down with Li Peng", "Down with Jiang Zeming",
"Long live the people's heroes", "The June 4 massacre is
a crime that cannot be forgiven", "Rehabilitate the 1989
Democracy Movement", "End the one party
dictatorship", "Power to the People"?
Activists from April 5 Action, Never Forget June 4,
Chinese Freedom & Democracy Party, and others
marched briskly along some busy roads for about 30
minutes before arriving at the New China News Agency.
They were barred from going near the entrance of the
Agency by some barriers and a cordon of police. The
spokesperson of the event, Leung Kwok-hung read out
a statement and was just about to place the wreath when
the minor scuffle broke out. Leung accused the police of
infringing on the right of expression. Eventually, the
police gave in and allowed the activists to tie the wreath
to the barriers.
The activists sang the Internationale, a popular song
during the Democracy Movement of 1989, and
observed a 1-minute silence with clenched fists raised in
protest. They dispersed peacefully after another round
of slogans.
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