Police officers stopped and searched artist Sanmu Chen in Hong Kong on the eve of the 37th anniversary of China's Tiananmen Square crackdown. The incident occurred as Chen attempted to tie a red thread to a street signpost in Causeway Bay, a shopping district near a park that once hosted annual candlelight vigils for the 1989 killings.
Public Acts Increasingly Sensitive
Hong Kong was for decades the only place in China where large-scale public commemorations of the Tiananmen massacre were held. However, the massive annual vigils were banned in 2020 during the Covid pandemic. Since then, public acts to mark the event have become increasingly sensitive in the city.
Chen said his thread was 6.4 meters long, an apparent reference to June 4. Police stopped him, searched his bag, and let him go. When asked about his gesture, Chen said it was to express condolences for those who died. "It's abnormal when people monitor you when you are saying or doing something," he added.
Artist's History of Detention
Chen has been detained at least twice in recent years. In 2024, he was briefly detained on June 3 after appearing to write the Chinese characters for "eight nine six four" in the air. The year before, he was detained on the same date in the same neighborhood after chanting: "Hong Kongers, do not be afraid. Don't forget, tomorrow is June 4."
As night fell on Wednesday, another artist, Chan Mei-tung, stood outside a nearby department store holding a question-mark-shaped balloon. Police quickly stopped her and escorted her back to a subway station. Police did not immediately comment on Wednesday's actions.
Background of the Crackdown
In 1989, under then-leader Deng Xiaoping, the Chinese military was sent to Tiananmen Square to end weeks of student-led protests on the night of June 3-4. Soldiers fired live rounds, killing hundreds and possibly thousands of people, including dozens of soldiers.
Annual vigils in Hong Kong's Victoria Park attracted tens of thousands each year until they were banned in 2020. That same year, Beijing imposed a national security law in the city after massive anti-government protests in 2019. Since then, authorities have increasingly silenced dissent.
Legal Consequences
Many leading activists have been arrested, and some vocal media outlets shut down. Dozens of civil society groups have been disbanded, including the one that organized the vigils. Three former vigil organizers were charged in 2021 with inciting subversion under the national security law. Two have gone on trial and are awaiting a verdict, possibly in July. If convicted, they face up to 10 years in prison. The third organizer entered a guilty plea, which can typically result in a sentence reduction.
The Hong Kong and Beijing governments say the security law is crucial for the city's stability. Hong Kong authorities say the law stipulates that human rights shall be respected and protected in safeguarding national security.
International Reaction
Commenting on the 37th anniversary, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said: "No amount of censorship can erase the past. Those who sacrificed to uphold their unalienable rights of free expression and peaceful assembly will be vindicated someday." Rubio said the protesters were on the square in 1989 "to exercise their natural rights and demand democratic reforms and accountability for corruption. We remember their lives and honor their legacy."
The crackdown remains an intensely sensitive subject in communist-run China. Rubio's statement comes less than three weeks since Donald Trump held a summit with Xi Jinping in Beijing.
