TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Over 6,000 people gathered in Taipei for a vigil on Tuesday night (June 4) to mark the 35th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown in China.
The number of participants at this year’s vigil reached a 10-year high, according to organizers. Chinese Democratic College Association leader Zeng Jian-yuan (曾建元) said there were three main reasons for the record attendance, per CNA.
First, Chinese military drills around Taiwan following its presidential inauguration on May 20. Second, the response of Taiwan’s “Bluebird Movement” to measures that would expand the legislature’s powers, and third, Hong Kongers in Taiwan adding momentum to social movements.
Zeng said the number of people participating from Hong Kong has increased significantly, with some flying to Taiwan just to attend the vigil. The Hong Kong government has suppressed all events to commemorate Tiananmen Square in Hong Kong, so the community has stepped up activities overseas, Zeng said.
Hong Kong used to hold the largest memorial event with thousands of attendees, but it was banned in 2020, the same year new security laws were passed that tightened Beijing’s grip on the territory. Before the anniversary of Tiananmen Square this year, Chinese and Hong Kong authorities reportedly arrested or put under surveillance several individuals, per human rights groups.
Zeng also noted the impact of Taiwan's Bluebird Movement and the number of young people, some wearing high school uniforms, at the event. "It shows Taiwan's free and diverse education has made this generation more visionary,” he said.
The vigil took place at Liberty Square and featured speeches by representatives of civil society groups and witnesses present during the Tiananmen protests, candle lighting, and musical performances. The numbers "8964" were also displayed to tell Beijing "we have not forgotten what you did,” organizers said.
Chinese Democratic College Association Chair Lin Qi-hua (林啟驊) said in a speech, "In Hong Kong I remember, 500,000 people took to the streets every year on June 4. But Hong Kong now is a place where we can't even mention June 4."
He told the audience to commemorate this day “for the countless martyrs of Tiananmen Square in 1989, for the countless Chinese pro-democracy activists who were forced to exile overseas, for the countless ordinary Hong Kong citizens who have been unable to stand up, and for the countless people who persisted in mourning June 4 and were arrested.”

