THE Massacre People In Beijing Can't Find On Google
Thousands gathered in pouring rain in Hong Kong on 4 June 2013 to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown as organizers call on Chinese President Xi Jinping to improve human rights and advance democracy. About 54,000 people participated the vigil. We bring you some of the images from now and then!
By Sadho Ram — 05 Jun 2013, 06:59 AM — Updated over 10 years ago
NOW: Remembering the 1989 Tiananmen Square Crackdown
Thousands of people attend a June 4 candlelight vigil to mark the 24th anniversary of China's crackdown on protesters at Tiananmen Square at Victoria Park in Hong Kong.
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People hold candles during a vigil marking the anniversary of China's 1989 military crackdown at Tiananmen Square on June 4 in Taipei, Taiwan.
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A man protests in front of a replica of The Goddess of Democracy at Victoria Park in Hong Kong.
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People in Hong Kong attend a candlelight vigil to mark the 24th anniversary of the June 4, 1989, Chinese military crackdown on the pro-democracy movement in Beijing.
Image via gannett-cdn.comTHEN: The Tiananmen Square Massacre 1989
A protester blocks a column of tanks on June 5, 1989, in front of the Beijing Hotel near Tiananmen Square. The man, calling for an end to the violence and bloodshed against pro-democracy demonstrators, was pulled away by bystanders, and the tanks continued on their way.
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A statue of The Goddess of Democracy stands in Tiananmen Square on May 30, 1989. The sculpture, modeled after the Statue of Liberty, was created by students from the Central Academy of Fine Arts.
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Chinese soldiers rest after battling with pro-democracy demonstrators on June 3, 1989, in Beijing.
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Students set fire to a Chinese military armored personnel carrier on June 4, 1989, near Tiananmen Square.
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An injured girl is evacuated on a cart on June 4, 1989, as students clash with soldiers near Tiananmen Square.
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Bodies lie among mangled bicycles on June 4, 1989, near Tiananmen Square. Hundreds of protesters were killed as China's leaders ordered the military to end six weeks of democracy protests.
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Chinese troops and tanks gather in Beijing on June 5, 1989, one day after the military ended a pro-democracy demonstration on Tiananmen Square.
Image via gannett-cdn.comIn Brief: Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 were student-led popular demonstrations in Beijing which took place in the spring of 1989 and received broad support from city residents, exposing deep splits within China's political leadership
Also known as the June Fourth Incident in Chinese, the protests were forcibly suppressed by hardline leaders who ordered the military to enforce martial law in the country's capital.
bbc.co.ukThe Chinese government condemned the protests as a "counterrevolutionary riot", and has prohibited all forms of discussion or remembrance of the events within China. Even the memoirs of leaders who supported the crackdown are banned.
The protests were triggered in April 1989 by the death of former Communist Party General Secretary, Hu Yaobang, a liberal reformer, who was deposed after losing a power struggle with hardliners over the direction of Chinese economic and political reforms.
bbc.co.ukInternationally, the Chinese government was widely condemned for the use of force against the protesters. Western governments imposed economic sanctions and arms embargoes.
The Beijing ban on Tiananmen Square-related web search terms
China has banned search terms like "tomorrow," "six four," "23," "candle," "never forget" and "June 4" from the web as the country marks the 24th anniversary of the massacre in Tiananmen Square.