Amid shrinking freedoms, Hong Kongers commemorate Tiananmen anniversary privately

By KANIS LEUNG
Associated Press

HONG KONG (AP) — As the 34th anniversary of China’s Tiananmen Square crackdown approaches Sunday, many in Hong Kong are trying to mark the day in the shadow of a law that prosecuted leading activists in the city’s pro-democracy movement. Every year through 2020, thousands of people gathered in Hong Kong’s Victoria Park to mark June 4 with a candlelight vigil. But as the government arrested activists, publishers and opposition politicians under the sweeping 2020 National Security Law, public shows of opposition have mostly vanished. As authorities erase reminders of the crackdown, some Hong Kongers are fighting to keep memories alive by distributing LED candles, writing about the crackdown, or buying books about it.