Tiananmen Square Massacre Commemoration in Hong Kong Met with Police Crackdown

Chan, who is the head of the League of Social Democrats, was holding a small LED candle and two flowers when she was taken into custody.

AFP reporters have seen at least 10 people detained in total, including veteran journalist Mak Yin-ting and democracy activist Alexandra Wong, also known as "Grandma Wong." Hong Kong has long been the only Chinese city with large-scale public commemoration of the Tiananmen events, but this year, the vigil was banned and its organizers arrested under a national security law imposed on the city by Beijing.

The ban has been in effect since 2020, after huge and at times violent pro-democracy demonstrations rocked the city.

For decades, Hong Kong has enjoyed a high degree of autonomy and political pluralism, but the recent crackdown on dissent has raised fears about the city's future and the extent to which Beijing will continue to respect its autonomy.

In the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, the Chinese government cracked down on dissent and censored any mention of the events.

The massacre, which took place on June 4, 1989, resulted in an unknown number of deaths and injuries as the Chinese military suppressed pro-democracy protests in Beijing.