Hong Kong activists fear first ban on Tiananmen vigil won't be last

Police cite virus, but democracy supporters see pretext for Beijing's control

Students observed a minute of silence to mourn those killed in the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown at the University of Hong Kong on June 4 in front of a memorial to the victims. © AP

MICHELLE CHAN, Nikkei staff writer, and KENJI KAWASE, Nikkei Asian Review chief business news correspondent

June 4, 2020 11:09 JST

HONG KONG -- Jeremy Wong was 16 when he first attended the annual vigil in Hong Kong that marks the anniversary of China's crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989.

Wong, now 36, has joined tens of thousands of people in Hong Kong's Victoria Park every year since, honoring the lives lost with candlelight and seeking accountability for the deadly crackdown. He participated over the years despite occasional heavy rain and thunderstorms.