Calls for end to one-party rule will not cease, Hong Kong’s June 4 vigil organiser vows

Annual event will kick off with ‘Resist Authoritarianism’ as one of its slogans while participants will also pay tribute to dissident Liu Xiaobo

Reading Time:2 minutes

Thousands in Hong Kong attend an annual June 4 candlelight vigil to mark the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. Photo: AP/Vincent Yu

Published: 10:30pm, 3 Jun 2018Updated: 11:16am, 4 Jun 2018

Hongkongers are preparing to mark the 29th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown on Monday with organisers of the annual candlelight vigil at Victoria Park vowing not to stop calling for an end to one-party rule in mainland China, regardless of any “red line” drawn by Beijing.

In addition to commemorating June 4 by demanding the vindication of the pro-democracy student movement of 1989, they will also pay tribute to dissident and Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo, who died nearly a year ago.

Chow Hang-tung, vice-chairwoman of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, is set to reject recent warnings from pro-Beijing forces that shouting slogans in favour of “ending one-party dictatorship” may cross a “new red line”.

“If one-party dictatorship continues, China will not have real democracy. Hong Kong will not have real freedom,” Chow said in a pre-released speech. “We cannot give you all a road map ... we must at least dare to stand up and shout, ‘we want to end one-party dictatorship’.”

Veteran pro-establishment politician Tam Yiu-chung, a delegate to China’s top legislative body, had earlier suggested those shouting such slogans could risk disqualification when running for election, after constitutional changes on the mainland affirming the ruling Communist Party’s leadership.

The alliance has also chosen “Resist Authoritarianism” as one of its main slogans.

Portraits of persistence: the Hongkongers refusing to let June 4 fade

As the only city in China, along with Macau, where public gatherings to mark June 4 are allowed, Hong Kong attracts large crowds of citizens and visitors annually at Victoria Park, although attendance has dwindled over the years.

We must at least dare to stand up and shout, ‘we want to end one-party dictatorship’

Chow Hang-tung, organiser