The Tiananmen Square in the center of Beijing in China is reportedly the biggest square in the world with a total area of 440,000 square meters, enough to hold one million people. Tiananmen Square was the setting on June the 4th 1989 for a confrontation between students and the Chinese Red Army. An annual candlelit vigil in Hong Kong's Victoria Park was the only official event on Chinese soil to mark the 1989 massacre. What has China got to hide? Why is it treating the relatives and loved ones of those killed as an embarrassment?

Just Following Oders.

On June 3, 1989, Red Army troops received orders to reclaim Tiananmen Square at all costs. Troops opened fire on unarmed peaceful protestors on the evening of June the 3rd 1989. What is known is that soldiers opened fire that night on people trying to block the army's advance as well as those who were simply shouting at the troops. At around 1:00 a.m. on June 4, the troops surrounded the square, waiting for further orders. After negotiating with the army, the hunger strikers agreed to leave the square. By dawn, several thousand students, teachers and supporters left the square at gunpoint. Following the massacre the Chinese Government continued with the arrests of tens of thousands of demonstrators in major cities and provinces around China. Many of these people are being held in inhumane conditions today, treated like political prisoners. This is perhaps Chinas sick link to the Stalinist or state communist's tactic in jailing political dissenters. Although China is very much a capitalist country, it uses the communist's viciousness in suppressing opposition. A country which crushes students using tanks is very dangerous indeed.

Below, the aftermath of the tanks crushing the student


The Chinese Government is doing its best to make sure well all forget the events of 15 years ago when Chinese students, workers and lecturers were crushed and murdered by the Chinese Government. No-one knows how many died, or how many of the protestors were jailed. Numbers killed range from 500 to 3000 and more. We saw an act of brutality from China which is rarely condemned by Western Countries.

Liverpool has close links with China - but we wonder will the Chinese here commemorate the deaths of there own people back home, or local Chinese community leaders speak out? Notably, the Liverpool Echo never reported on the event at all in today's issue. The Echo seems to often report on notable or not so notable Chinese events, but not this one. Don't forget that a lot of business people here, both English and Chinese, want to continue trade with China. Even if they show contempt for the rights of its own people to protest peacefully.

Mothers of Victims Denied right to lay wreaths.

Whilst the mothers of the victims are even denied the right to lay a wreath on Tiananmen Square, you would hope Chinese people who live in the relative freedom of the UK or Europe may use there presence here to speak out. If there was a memorial in Liverpool I'd like to lay a wreath there to commemorate the mostly young Chinese people who made a stand in their own Country to try and effect change. The Butchers of Tiananmen Square will have been well rewarded and protected by the Chinese Government. Maybe the next time some Chinese Government official comes swanning in here to Liverpool, it would perhaps be our duty for decent people to protest at the disgusting behaviour shown to the so called dissident's families.

Below, Beijing residents give food and supplies to the students before the slaughter.

Dalai Lama

It is also worth noting that the Dalai Lama, so hated by China, received a very warm welcome during his visit here in Liverpool recently. The Chinese government strenuously objects to foreign government leaders meeting with the Dalai Lama, whom it labels a separatist. Chinese troops seized control of the country in 1959 and claimed communism bought about greater prosperity to ordinary Tibetans. The Deli Lama, a "simple Buddhist monk" is considered by some to be an almost Gandhi like figure, he is non violent and seems down to earth. China will arrest him if he returns to his homeland so he lives in exile in India. Brutal repression of religious movements is another Chinese problem which seems to be missed by the western media.

1989: A bad year.

I'll never forget the events of Tiananmen Square. I989 was a terrible year as we'd seen the Hillsborough Disaster only a few weeks previous and many of us here would have had that weighing heavy on our hearts as we looked at the terrible scenes of tanks crushing unarmed protestors in the streets. We saw little footage, as China is ruthless even to this day in banning any footage of negative images of the Country being shown to the world. Such is the fear in Chinese Society that few books have been published on this event, although the Chinese comprise one of the biggest populations in the World. Many vital eyewitnesses to the events are rotting in jail or dead, there story not heard by the rest of us. The very fact that China has not released the numbers of those who died seems to indicate that the numbers were deliberately suppressed in an attempt to hide from the World the extent of this disgraceful act of treachery against humanity. To those Chinese who made a stand and were murdered, they were the true heroes in an age in which few make a stand. The image of the poor young lad who stood before a tank will be recalled by all of us who are old enough to remember those terrible events. In some ways that image was one which maybe summed up the entire 20th Century. We need to ensure that our fate is different from the man who died, crushed underneath the tanks tracks. He was killed seconds after the video still shows him blocking the way of the tank. The soldier driving the tank may have hesitated enough to radio his commander - but was told in no uncertain terms that nothing could get in there way. The Chinese State crushes opposition ruthlessly when it feels threatened.

Below, Fascist Chinese soldiers beat up and terrorise innocent pedestrians and residents with sticks

Where next?

Humanity keeps coming to points in its history where choices are made and paths set. Tiananmen Square was one such point and until we address the issues surrounding it, we have surely sacrificed an opportunity to move the World towards real democracy and a chance to let China move forward. That's why it's important to keep bringing up the issue of Tiananmen. The scenes we saw were those of a fascist country whose disregard for democratic rights for its own people has been shown to the entire World in the photos of the bloodied streets surrounding the Square. China is a Country where even to this day, the ordinary Chinese are bullied and intimidated on Tiananmen Square if they make any protest whatsoever. Until the day that they can protest there freely, China will always be tarnished.

Justice for the Victims of Tiananmen Square.

Sign this online petition to let the Mothers of the Tiananmen Square Massacre lay Wreathes Petition Here!