Tiananmen vigil: Hong Kong police to put 3,000 anti-riot officers on standby, promising swift action against any unauthorised June 4 gatherings

Members of Police Tactical Unit to conduct stop-and-search checks near Victoria Park where annual candlelight vigil is traditionally held

Force to also have increased presence near June 4 museum where people can lay flowers in memory of those killed in Tiananmen Square in 1989

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Residents light candles at the Kwun Tong waterfront during a candlelight vigil on June 4, 2020. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

Published: 8:30am, 2 Jun 2021Updated: 11:29pm, 2 Jun 2021

Police plan to have more than 3,000 anti-riot officers in reserve to stop any possible unauthorised gatherings on Friday, force insiders have warned, following the banning of Hong Kong’s annual June 4 vigil.

Organisers of the annual candlelight vigil to commemorate the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989 previously lost an appeal to hold this year’s gathering in Victoria Park, with authorities citing Covid-19 restrictions for the second year in a row.

It would be the force’s largest deployment of officers to deal with any potential trouble this year.

The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China said it would drop calls for people to show up at the park, and unlike in 2020 would not run a ceremony online this year.

The alliance told the Post it was concerned police would accuse those watching the live broadcast together of sharing a “common purpose” and arrest them for unauthorised assembly. The law defines a public procession as one organised for a common purpose which takes place in, to, or from a public place.

Officers from the Police Tactical Unit will be on standby should any trouble occur. Photo: Edmond So

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