Hong Kong bans Tiananmen crackdown vigil for 2nd year

Hong Kong authorities for the second year have banned the June 4 candlelight vigil to commemorate the bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square

HONG KONG -- Hong Kong authorities for the second year have banned the June 4 candlelight vigil to commemorate the bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, organizers said Thursday. The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which organizes the candlelight vigil annually, said in a statement that the police had objected to the event in light of social distancing restrictions, which prohibit large gatherings. For years, Hong Kong and Macao were the only cities in China where people were allowed to mark the 1989 anniversary of Beijing’s crushing of the Chinese democracy movement. The ban on the vigil comes as Beijing has tightened control over the semi-autonomous Chinese city, after months of anti-government protests in 2019.