1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre

The **Tiananmen Square protests** were held from 15 April to 4 June 1989. China calls this the **June Fourth Incident**, It was part of the Revolutions of 1989, during the end of the Cold War.

## Overview

The Tiananmen Square protests were student-led demonstrations calling for democracy, free speech and a free press in China. There were other protests on Tiananmen square in 1919 and 1976. The protests of 1989 were organised by groups of students, intellectuals and labour activists. There was no common cause or leadership in the protests. However, most protesters did not like the way the Communist party of China ran the economy. Some people also wanted a change towards more democracy. Most people protested on Tiananmen Square in Beijing, but some also did in other cities, like Shanghai. The protests in cities other than Beijing stayed peaceful.

On June 4, 1989, the government used force to end the protests. This left many people injured or dead. The exact number is not known today. The Chinese government speaks about 200 - 300 victims, the _New York Times_ says there were between 300 and 800, and the Chinese Red Cross talks about 2,000 - 3,000.

The official Chinese position on the events was that the protests needed to be dispersed in order not to harm the stability of the country.

Many of the scenes were shown around the world over western media (the most famous image is that showing a man standing in front of a file of tanks in the middle of the square).

The protests had various causes. The corruption of the Communist Party was a main issue. The control of the economy was working badly. The country was poor, and city dwellers got the worst of it.

Ironically, this all happened under the rule of Deng Xiaoping, who became known for launching various economic reforms. These reforms helped life for farmers and people who lived in the countryside, but were bad for city dwellers. Intellectuals, students, and industrial workers feared unemployment rising and social problems. They felt disenfranchised. This means people felt they could do nothing about these problems.

When reformer Hu Yaobang suddenly died of a heart attack on (15 April  1989), students reacted strongly. Hu's death provided the reason for students to gather in large numbers. In university campuses, many posters appeared eulogizing Hu, calling for a revival of Hu's legacy. Within days, most posters were writing about broader political issues, such as freedom of the press, democracy, and corruption.

It is said this was one of the largest specific-purposed, overcrowded demonstrations there has been in all of modern history.

## Memorials

After 1989, memorials have traditionally been held every year to honor the June 4, 1989 student-led pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square.

In 2019, there were months of anti-government protests in Hong Kong, which is a partly independent Chinese territory. The 2019 protests led Beijing to approve a national security law in Hong Kong in 2020. Under the law, anyone believed to be involved in terrorism or the weakening of state power could be tried and face life in prison.

In 2020, China banned the annual ceremony for the first time in 30 years. Police said the ban was needed for public health reasons related to COVID-19, but critics say the ban is part of ongoing measures to stop political dissent. More than 12 activists first attended the June 4 ceremony despite the ban and thousands came later. The crowds broke through barriers set up around Victoria Park to light candles and sing songs. Police later arrested over 20 activists, including leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, the group that organizes the yearly ceremony.

## Related pages

- List of Chinese dissidents
- Political problems of China