On Tuesday evening, six to seven hundred Los Angeles residents gathered in front of the Chinese consulate to mourn the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. This year’s turnout for the “June 4th” memorial event exceeded that of previous years, surprising even veteran democracy activists who have attended the commemorations for over two decades.
“I have been participating in the June 4th memorial activities ever since I came to the United States,” said Liu Yinquan, Chairman of the China Social Democratic Party, as he looked at the dense crowd. Having been in the U.S. for 24 years, he has been attending the memorial events for the same period. “In the past, there were usually only two or three hundred people, but look at today, that side is fully packed,” he said. He noted that even some former “pinkies” (pro-Communist individuals) were present, and during their speeches, they talked about their journey towards anti-communism.
Computer engineer Liu Datong, who left China in 2019, has participated in several June 4th memorial events, but he remarked that the attendance this time was on a different scale compared to previous years.
In order to ensure the safety of the gathering, the street in front of the Chinese consulate was closed off before 5 p.m., with about six to seven police cars from the Los Angeles Police Department providing control. One of the organizers of the event, Vice Chairman Jie Lijian of the Chinese Democratic Party Headquarters, stated that many people hurriedly came to join after finishing work, including students from Los Angeles and other universities, as well as parents who brought their children along.
Attendees held candles or illuminated their phones, mourning the young students and ordinary citizens who lost their lives in pursuit of freedom and democracy, while songs like “The Wound of History” played in the background. Apart from the Chinese Democratic Party Headquarters and the Chinese Democratic Party Central Committee, other participating organizations included the Dialogue China Think Tank, Freedom Sculpture Park, Los Angeles Hong Kong Forum, China Social Democratic Party, and the Visual Artists Association.
The five-hour event, which commenced at 5 p.m., saw several peaks of remembrance.
Around 6 p.m., members of the Chinese Democratic Party such as Wang Zhongwei took turns giving speeches in front of the consulate, recounting the truth of the June 4th incident and denouncing the heinous killings by the Chinese Communist Party. Many people lined up eagerly waiting to speak.
Across the street, Chinese Democratic Party member Zheng Min displayed a memorial wall marking the 35th anniversary of the June 4th incident, filled with the names of mourners. Signatories included Chairman Zheng Cunzhu of the Chinese Democratic Party Headquarters, Freedom Sculpture Park founder Chen Weiming, Chinese writer Chen Weijian from New Zealand, and immigration lawyer Efeli from Los Angeles.
Under the backdrop of a giant banner of artist Gao Zhihuo’s “June 4th National Mourning Column,” Jie Lijian and others arranged a temporary speaking area, with two large drums placed on either side and two sparkling electronic torches standing in front of the podium. Subsequently, led by Jie Lijian and others, attendees raised a model tank and protested in front of the consulate to expose the CCP’s atrocities of using tanks to slaughter civilians.
Jie Lijian and others also lit a torch. “The democratic torch burns brightly, symbolizing the transmission of the spirit of June 4th,” he said, explaining their deliberate choice of torch lighting representatives. “Among them are people from the 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s, as well as children from the 10s and 20s, we need the spirit of June 4th to pass on among people of all generations.”
Another highlight of the event was the Los Angeles Hong Kong Forum. Leaders of the 1989 Democracy Movement such as Wang Dan and former senior Hong Kong media person Cheng Xiang took turns to address the audience, leading them in singing to commemorate the victims of June 4th. By this time, the sky had darkened, and the atmosphere was filled with the mingling of candlelight and phone lights.
Several organization leaders expressed that this year was noticeably different from previous years, as the domestic and international environments facing the CCP were undergoing significant changes.
Zheng Cunzhu observed that many young people born in the 90s and 00s were present, with many recognizing that the Communist Party’s economy is crumbling and its rule is being maintained through lies and force. He stated, “However, this kind of rule will not last long and cannot be sustained.” He believes that the downfall and exit of the Communist Party from the historical stage are imminent.
“Now, apart from street protests, the people are also falling into a sense of despair with the current regime,” Zheng Cunzhu remarked, citing frequent reports of people resorting to suicide by jumping into rivers, off buildings, or bridges, with police stationed even on the bridges to prevent such incidents. He said, “More and more Chinese people have no way out,” attributing this to the totalitarian dictatorship of the CCP. He hopes that various groups can work together to end the CCP regime as this is the only way out for the Chinese people.
During his speech, Wang Dan pointed out that the current CCP regime is blatantly looting, forcing many to leave their homes. He asked, “Is such a regime evil or not?” The attendees responded, “Evil!”
He continued, “Such a regime is filled with the arrogance of power; in their eyes, the people are like leeks that can be bullied at will. Shouldn’t such a regime be overthrown?” The attendees echoed, “It should!”
Wang Dan stated that commemorating June 4th is a war of memory and oblivion that “we must win.” He emphasized, “Through commemorating June 4th, we must remind the world of the evil nature of the CCP, remind the world that the CCP is the enemy of freedom and democracy, and remind the world that tyranny, if not destroyed, will bring disaster to humanity.”
Many attendees expressed that while in China, they were unable to see the truth of June 4th, as the CCP has continuously tried to erase people’s memories of the Tiananmen Square massacre.
“Butchers always hope that people forget they are butchers,” Liu Datong stated, believing that the path chosen by the CCP dictatorship is already determined, and it is a dead end, where changing course means death, and they can only continue on the same path until the end.
Chinese writer Xi Yan has been commemorating June 4th annually even before leaving the country. She shared how on the eve of June 4th each year, she was strictly monitored by the police and not allowed to leave her home, leading her to fast and pray at home. She said, “For me, it’s like a wound that needs attention every year; I don’t want to forget.”
Zhao Yan, born in the 90s, encountered the news of the June 4th massacre during her study abroad in the U.S. in 2019. That night she couldn’t stop crying as she realized that she had been completely brainwashed and shielded from the truth, stating, “The Communist Party of China is like a demon or rather an enemy of humanity.” She believes that under the CCP’s rule, there is no hope for China.
Zhao Gaofeng from Henan mentioned how he was arrested and tortured in a police station back home four years ago for commemorating June 4th. To escape persecution, he arrived in the U.S. by the beginning of last year, and upon seeing the overwhelming turnout that night, he said, “This indicates that more and more people are understanding June 4th, recognizing the CCP, hating the authoritarian regime, and a growing number of people are yearning for freedom and democracy, desiring to overthrow tyranny.”
Ren Wei attended the event with his children, as he came to the U.S. years ago to prevent his children from being brainwashed by the CCP. He said, “Nowadays, young people are either forgetting or not even aware of what happened on June 4th, 1989. So we must awaken generation after generation; we must tell them these truths and make them truly realize the evil of the Communist Party.”