29 years on, June 4 vigil continues to showcase Hong Kong’s freedoms
A particular focus for tonight’s event will be the participation of young people, and their attitudes towards ‘one country, two systems’
Tonight’s 29th annual commemoration of the June 4 crackdown on democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square may be unexceptional compared with, say, the symbolic 20th or the 30th next year.
But the headcount at tonight’s candlelight vigil for the victims will still be scrutinised for clues to enduring relevance to Hong Kong’s identity. The participation of young people growing up or not yet born in 1989, which peaked after the 20th anniversary, will be a particular focus.
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What really sets tonight’s observance apart in terms of the city’s identity, however, is a more esoteric distinction.
Today is the 20th anniversary of the first legal commemoration on Chinese territory of the June 4 crackdown, counting from the resumption of sovereignty over Hong Kong in July 1997. It is an event that remains taboo on the mainland.
That it has become a peaceful commemoration identified with Hong Kong around the world reflects safeguards for our freedoms in the Basic Law and mutual respect for the city’s rule of law.
Amid debate about the operation of “one country, two systems”, and which takes precedence over the other, it is symbolic and practical evidence that the concept can work.
That said, while tonight’s scenes may be familiar, the times in which they are set have changed over 20 years. China’s rise is the pre-eminent example.