On the eve of the June Fourth commemoration day, the Los Angeles June Fourth Memorial Museum was vandalized in the early hours of last Sunday (May 31st), with some exhibits and displays painted and defaced. Local authorities have officially launched an investigation. The morning activities were postponed until the afternoon after ensuring safety, yet the venue was still packed with participants.
The El Monte Police Department retrieved footage from the time of the incident and spent the entire Sunday morning collecting evidence inside the museum. Preliminary investigations showed that unidentified individuals broke into the museum at 12:10 a.m. various exhibits, including shirts worn by protesters at the time, historical newspapers in Chinese and English, a calligraphy piece, and June Fourth-themed T-shirts, were all defaced. The entrance desk, parts of the walls, and many display cases were sprayed with brownish-yellow paint, with one wall bearing the word “Americ”.
On Monday (June 1st), the June Fourth Memorial Museum issued a statement denouncing the severe damage inflicted on their assets and those behind the vandalism, declaring their intent to hold the perpetrators accountable legally. The museum has also gathered some clues and suspicions, affirming their full cooperation with law enforcement in hopes of resolving the case promptly.
On June 4, 1989, the Chinese Communist Party deployed tanks and machine guns to brutally suppress peaceful student and civilian protests, shocking the world. For 37 years, “June Fourth” has remained one of the most politically sensitive taboo topics in China; yet, in the Western world, the massacre is well-known, with many regions worldwide holding commemorative events on June Fourth to mourn the victims and condemn the atrocities of the CCP.
Incidents of sabotage on commemorative activities before June Fourth by the CCP have been prevalent in recent years. In 2023 and 2024, the “Tank Man” statue in the Southern California Freedom Sculpture Park was damaged by intruders; on the eve of June Fourth in 2025, several monuments in the park were vandalized, with three guard dogs being poisoned or killed.
The June Fourth Memorial Museum relocated from New York to Los Angeles last year and is preparing to host a series of June Fourth commemorative events. The “China Forum” seminar scheduled for the morning of the incident was also postponed until the afternoon following the initial investigation by the authorities.
“Never did we expect to experience intimidation from the CCP in the land of freedom and democracy that is America,” said Jin Yan, the museum’s general manager, viewing the incident as another typical case of the CCP’s “transnational repression”. The relevant situation has been reported to the FBI, Congress, and other government agencies in the United States.
The museum’s statement contended that the occurrence on the eve of June Fourth had “clear elements of intimidation and threats,” emphasizing the significance of commemorating June Fourth memories and affirming the museum’s existence’s purpose and value.
The museum’s director, Wang Dan, expressed on X platform, “Oppression will only garner more support for us! The stupidity of the CCP is simply unbelievable.”
The June Fourth Memorial Museum has received a vast amount of messages of concern and encouragement. One supporter promptly donated $800 for repair expenses.
Zheng Cunzhu, the Chairman of the China Democratic Party Headquarters, who attended the commemorative events on that day, remarked, “The timing of the incident is highly sensitive; everyone knows deep down that the instigators must be individuals from the Communist Party with certain ‘missions'”. Why does the CCP always attack overseas anti-communist groups before June Fourth? Zheng believes it aims to showcase that “its threat is omnipresent,” constituting a new form of cross-border persecution by the CCP.
Since a series of sabotage incidents began in July 2021, culminating in the destruction of the “CCP Virus Statue” at the Freedom Sculpture Park, numerous CCP spies and their accomplices have been arrested in the United States. Yet, in light of this event, Zheng notes, “it is evident they remain brazen.”
Zheng contends that the Tiananmen Square massacre directly exposed the brutal nature of the Communist Party, and “it seeks to conceal, and even through various means, prevent the young generation from understanding this event 37 years ago.” He notes, upon coming to the U.S., many youngsters from China, whether by learning through circumventing censorship in their homeland, express anger and pose questions: Why did our elders, teachers, not let us comprehend everything?
“Wang Dan stated, “The June Fourth Memorial Museum will never shut down due to such sabotage and threats; on the contrary, with support from all sectors, we look forward to running the museum even better.” ◇