Tiananmen 13 held by police as police confiscate statue for victims

 And so bit by bit, HK loses its democracy and no one notices.  Taken from the Associated Press:


 Police in Hong Kong yesterday confiscated a statue mourning victims of China’s Tiananmen Square crackdown and arrested 13 activists.  Critics condemned the move as an escalation of political censorship in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.

China’s military suppression of pro-democracy student protesters in Beijing in June 1989, which left hundreds dead, is still a taboo topic on the mainland.  But in Hong Kong, the incident is openly mourned as the June 4 anniversary looms. Activists had set up the Goddess of Democracy statue outside Times Square as part of their annual commemorative activities.  Activist Albert Ho said: ‘We’ve staged similar activities before and have never been treated so barbarically and so violently. This is clearly a move designed to crack down on mourning activities for Tiananmen Square.’


The "Goddess of Democracy" statue — a replica of a similar statue that was erected in Tiananmen Square during the 1989 protests — depicts a woman holding a torch and a book labeled with the words, "Liberty," ''Democracy" and "Justice."

I have always been touched to see how the people of Hong Kong have rallied to remember and show their support to the students who died on June 4.  It reminds me of the killing of students and Kent State University on 4 May 1970 during the Vietnam War era is the States.  I hope that each new generation will tell the next generation so that we don't forget what happened.

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