Legco votes down pan-democrats’ motion to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown
- The motion, tabled by Democratic Party chairman Wu Chi-wai, was defeated 28 to 23 with nine abstentions, the 19th time it has been tabled and rejected since 1999
- Wu said the pro-democracy camp would persist to ensure the crackdown is not forgotten
A motion calling for Hong Kong people to remember the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown was defeated in the Legislative Council on Wednesday, two months before the 30th anniversary of the repression of the pro-democracy movement.
Pro-Beijing lawmakers largely remained silent while officials did not attend or respond to the three-hour debate – the 19th time the motion has been tabled and defeated since 1999.
A total of 23 pro-democracy legislators supported the motion, tabled by the Democratic Party’s chairman Wu Chi-wai, while 28 voted against it and nine abstained.
The non-binding motion sought to condemn the central government’s bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protests in the centre of Beijing on June 4, 1989, in which many activists died.
Though the death toll may never be known, hundreds – possibly more than 1,000 – died.
