The protesters killed in Tiananmen Square in mainland China on June 4, 1989, used to be remembered in Hong Kong with an annual candlelight vigil in the city’s expansive Victoria Park, attended by crowds as big as 130,000, all holding flickering candles.
Now the lawful gatherings seem to be limited to seven Catholic churches. The reason for the dramatic downsizing? Politics and the pandemic. Police said they had to cancel the event this year and last year because of social distancing rules put in place to control the spread of COVID-19. This year’s event is the first one banned since the Chinese government in Beijing imposed a national security law on Hong Kong last June. The controversial legislation prohibits acts of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces.