The 34th anniversary of the Tiananmen massacre was marked not by public commemoration, but by the Hong Kong government’s efforts to erase it from memory.

The Pillar of Shame, an artwork marking the Tiananmen massacre, had been removed from the University of Hong Kong’s campus under cover of night in December 2021. On 5 May 2023, the national security police seized the artwork from the university’s storage in Yuen Long as evidence for an incitement to subversion case. A police spokesperson stated that the seizure was conducted with a court warrant.

On the eve of the anniversary, public commemoration was quickly snuffed out. At least 8 people were apprehended by police as they sought to commemorate the Tiananmen massacre in Causeway Bay. The police confirmed that arrests were made for sedition and causing public disorder. Among those arrested was member of activist group Tiananmen Mothers Lau Ka-yee, who wore a t-shirt bearing a candle and the word “truth” to Victoria Park.

The chilling effect of the national security law has led to wide self-censorship across all sectors of society: The Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong announced that it would not hold any mass commemorating the Tiananmen massacre. Instead, it held a mass for the church in China on 24 May themed the “search for memories and hope”. Advertisers that sought to congratulate local newspaper Ming Pao on its 64th anniversary avoided using the number “64” because of its connotation to the Tiananmen massacre. Instead, they used awkward terms such as “moving forward to 65 years” in advertisements. The Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute abided by advice from the “relevant government department” to cancel sharing of the results of its annual poll on the public’s views of the Tiananmen massacre. 

As previously covered in our newsletter, the organisers of Hong Kong’s annual candlelight vigil have been charged under the national security law. The now-defunct Hong Kong Alliance in Support Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, and three of its former leaders (Lee Cheuk-yan, Albert Ho, and Chow Hang-tung) are accused of incitement to subversion. The three remain in pre-trial detention and face a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment. 

(This story originally appeared in the May-June 2023 edition of our newsletter).