Foreign missions share Tiananmen crackdown tributes on anniversary

Foreign consulates in Hong Kong, including ones of the US, UK, and EU shared tributes to the Tiananmen dead on the 33rd anniversary of the crackdown, as they ignored warnings from Beijing's foreign office.

"Today, Canada joins Hong Kong and others remembering the tragic events of #June4, 1989, when peaceful demonstrators were violently suppressed in and around #TiananmenSq. Assembling peacefully is a human right, Canada stands with all those prevented from exercising their rights," said the Consulate General of Canada in Hong Kong and Macao.

European Union Office said the 27-member bloc stands in solidarity with human rights defenders across the globe. "In commemoration of the 33rd anniversary of the #TiananmenSquare crackdown on #June 4 1989. The European Union always stands in solidarity with human rights defenders across the globe," the European Union Office said.

The UK consulate shared a post on Facebook. "Freedom to debate, discuss and disagree is fundamental to learning the lessons of the past. As an eyewitness in Beijing during 1989 to a moment of history, each year on 4 June I reflect as well as remember," wrote Brian Davidson, the British consul-general.

The US Department of State also issued a press statement on the 33rd Anniversary of Tiananmen Square.

Chinese government carried out mass killings of pro-democracy demonstrators, State Secretary Antony Blinken said that despite attempts to eradicate history, the US continues to promote respect for human rights whenever they are "threatened".

Blinken said that there have been attempts to remove the traces of history by the removal of Tiananmen memorials. The United States honours the memory of the fallen protestors and upholds human rights even as they are violated and threatened by some, he added.

"33 years have passed since the world watched brave demonstrators and bystanders peacefully demand democracy in Tiananmen Square. Despite the removal of memorials and attempts to erase history, we honor their memory by promoting respect for human rights wherever threatened," Blinken tweeted.

The Tiananmen Massacre took place after the peaceful gatherings of students, workers, and others in Beijing's Tiananmen Square and other Chinese cities in April 1989, calling for freedom of expression, accountability, and an end to corruption.

The government responded to the intensifying protests in late May 1989 by declaring martial law. On June 3 and 4, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers fired upon and killed untold numbers of peaceful protesters and bystanders.

In Beijing, some citizens attacked army convoys and burned vehicles in response to the military's violence. Following the killings, the government carried out a nationwide crackdown and arrested thousands of people on "counter-revolution" and other criminal charges, including arson and disrupting social order, according to rights groups.