To commemorate the victims of the June Fourth Tiananmen Square Massacre, the China Democracy Party International Alliance organized a “Democracy Tank” convoy parade in the Chinese community in Los Angeles last Sunday (May 31st), reminding and calling on overseas Chinese not to forget the Communist Party of China’s massacre 37 years ago.
On Sunday afternoon, a long convoy made up of more than twenty cars set off from the city of San Gabriel, parading through the Chinese commercial districts of Rosemead and Monterey Park, among others. Some cars displayed the American flag, while others bore slogans commemorating June Fourth.
The leader of the “Democracy Tank” convoy, spokesman for the Hong Kong Liberal Democratic Party, Liao Wenhao, told reporters that when the convoy passed near Ding Panzi Square, an elderly Chinese man saluted the convoy and said to them, “You are the true Chinese!”
Two hours later, the convoy reached its endpoint – in front of the Los Angeles Chinese Consulate, where a rally was held. Participants raised over a dozen flags and displayed large Chinese and English banners reading, “The CCP is the biggest criminal group” and “The CCP virus has brought global disaster.”
Dozens of convoy members first paid their respects in a moment of silence for the victims of June Fourth. The host, Le Zailin, in his speech, said that the rally was not only to commemorate but also to send a message to the world: “History cannot be forgotten, the truth cannot be buried, and freedom must be fought for.”
He mentioned that due to the CCP’s censorship, many young people on the Chinese mainland are not even aware of the June 1989 massacre; the authorities have long used suppression, monitoring, harassment, and other criminal tactics to brainwash the people and suppress the demands of the “Tiananmen Mothers” for “public truth” about the loss of their children in the massacre.
“Under the guise of stability maintenance, it suppresses all opinions; under the guise of patriotism, it conceals the heinous crimes committed against the Chinese people,” Le Zailin said. “When a government responds to petitions with tanks, it has declared its true nature to the whole world.”
One of the organizers of the event, Chen Ning, stated during his speech that 37 years ago, numerous young students and citizens gathered in Tiananmen Square, full of hope for freedom, democracy, and anti-corruption, hoping to engage in dialogue with the government, only to be met with ruthless bullets.
“On that night, Chang’an Avenue ran with blood; on that night, numerous vibrant lives came to a halt; on that night, this regime completely tore off its mask,” he said. “What is even more tragic is that the massacre did not end on that night.”
Chen Ning expressed that in the decades after June Fourth, the CCP has tried to completely erase the words “June Fourth” from people’s memories through various means such as blocking the internet, altering textbooks, monitoring dissenters, and intimidating their families. He said, “Under CCP rule, publicly mourning has become a crime, and seeking the truth has become taboo. They not only took away the lives of those young people but also attempted to erase all traces of their existence.”
At the event, two participants lifted cardboard tank models and charged at the crowd, simulating the tanks deployed by the CCP 37 years ago to crush civilians. People also took action together, defiling a Chinese national flag. Several attendees captured these scenes on their phones and livestreamed or shared them online. The participants then marched in front of the consulate, bringing the event to a close.