Wikipedia blocked in China ahead of Tiananmen Square anniversary

Owner of online encyclopaedia says it noticed in April that site was no longer accessible but has not been given any notice of a ban

Beijing often ramps up censorship before major political events or sensitive anniversaries

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A spokeswoman for Wikipedia says all versions of the site have been blocked in mainland China. Photo: Nathan Tsui

Published: 7:30pm, 15 May 2019Updated: 10:46am, 27 May 2019

Authorities in mainland China have blocked Wikipedia, its owner said on Wednesday.

“In April, the Wikimedia Foundation determined that Wikipedia was no longer accessible in China,” Samantha Lien, spokeswoman for the foundation, which owns the online encyclopaedia, said.

“After closely analysing our internal traffic reports, we can confirm Wikipedia is blocked across all language versions,” Lien said.

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media sites have long been blocked in mainland China, as have individual Wikipedia articles about sensitive issues, like the 1989 pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square and the Himalayan region of Tibet.

Hundreds of people died in the bloody crackdown in Tiananmen Square in 1989. Photo: AFP

Suspicion of a total block on Wikipedia surfaced in late April when some Chinese internet users took to social media to complain the site was no longer accessible.

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