June 4 motion in Hong Kong’s Legco to remember Tiananmen crackdown defeated by pro-Beijing lawmakers
More than 30 of the 57 lawmakers either voted no or abstained, making it the 18th year the motion to express disapproval at the central government’s bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protests in 1989 was not passed
Pro-democracy lawmakers on Wednesday urged an “end to one-party dictatorship” while acknowledging that these calls would displease Beijing as they proposed a motion at the Legislative Council to remember the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.
But their move was defeated by the pro-Beijing camp, as 27 lawmakers said no and six abstained from casting their ballot out of the 57 who took part in the vote. Only 26 members of the 68-member council are pro-democracy.
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It marked the 18th year the motion had been tabled and not passed, with the three-hour debate featuring impassioned speeches by the pro-democracy camp. Their rivals remained largely silent.
Though the death toll may never be known, hundreds, maybe more than 1,000, died.
