Hong Kong marathon commemorating Tiananmen Square crackdown proceeds in diminished form
- Only four core members of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China were able to take part due to social-distancing rules
- The group also appears to have dropped its long-held call to ‘end the one-party dictatorship’, which some had flagged as problematic under the national security law
The event was organised by the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which has also scheduled meetings with the police force later in the month to request approval for its annual rally and candlelight vigil marking the 1989 crackdown in Beijing, according to secretary Richard Tsoi Yiu-cheong.
“We will continue to strive for our rights within the legal framework, as we’ve been doing in the past 30 years. We hope police will consider Hongkongers’ rights and freedom to make decisions that comply with the law and human rights protection,” he said ahead of Sunday’s run.
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With police standing by, four core alliance members started the marathon at Victoria Park on Sunday morning, running past government headquarters in Admiralty and the Pillar of Shame – a sculpture at the University of Hong Kong honouring the crackdown’s victims – before finishing at Beijing’s liaison office in Sai Wan.
Displaying a banner reading “Candlelights Everywhere” – an allusion to the massive annual vigil – they called on people to share photos of candles with the hashtag #6432Justice. The banner also read: “For freedom, a common fate, a shared struggle”.
During the 15km run, the four chanted, “Reappraise June 4, we will never give up”. However, the group’s once explicit call to “end the one-party dictatorship”, long part of its manifesto, was not heard, and no longer appears in their publicity materials.
Hong Kong activists begin annual Tiananmen events with pillar ritual
Pro-establishment figures had previously suggested the phrase could constitute a violation of the Beijing-imposed national security law.
Tsoi said only four members had been able to join the physical run to comply with pandemic-related limits on public gatherings, but noted there was a virtual marathon involving 128 participants.
“Despite all the restrictions, we will continue to resist in a legal way. All these activities reflect our persistence in remembering June 4 and demanding a vindication of the victims,” he said.
The alliance has already applied for a letter of no objection for a rally later this month and its annual vigil on June 4, which, if approved, would be the first since the imposition of the national security law last year.
Tsoi on Sunday said the alliance would meet police officials on May 20 to discuss the annual protest, and on May 25 regarding the vigil. He added that the group was devising backup plans if the vigil was not approved.
The alliance has also appealed against the Leisure and Cultural Services Department’s decision last month not to process its application for the use of Victoria Park for the June 4 vigil on pandemic-related grounds.
The vigil was banned for the first time ever last year, with authorities also citing the coronavirus pandemic.
