The football fields were empty and silent in the cold glare of the floodlights. Nearby, hundreds of police patrolled the grounds, stopping and searching people, as well as blocking entrances to the park.
For the second year in a row, the sea of candles that used to light up Hong Kong’s Victoria Park every June 4 has been extinguished as authorities tried to erase all public commemorations of the city’s 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.
The heavy police presence on Saturday, however, failed to stop some Hong Kongers from approaching the park and performing their own acts of defiance of celebration — holding electronic candles and telephone flashlights or softly singing remembrance songs.
“It’s heartbreaking to see (Victoria Park) like this,” said a woman surnamed Lau, who came to the park with a bouquet of white and red roses and electric candles.
“Hong Kong quickly sank into a police state,” said Lau, a volunteer with the “Mothers of Tiananmen” Campaign, a group that supports victims’ families.
For three decades, Hong Kong has mourned the victims of China’s bloody military crackdown on pro-democracy protesters with a candlelit vigil on the night of June 4 that would be attended by tens of thousands of people who vowed never to forget.
But since 2020, the Hong Kong government has banned the event citing the risks of the coronavirus – although many believe this is just an excuse to quell demonstrations of public dissent following pro-democracy protests that swept the city in 2019.
On Friday, a government statement said much of Victoria Park would be closed from Friday night until the early hours of Sunday to “prevent any unauthorized gatherings that affect public security and order and to avoid the risk of of transmission [do coronavírus] because of these meetings”.
This came a day after police warned that residents risk committing the crime of “illegal assembly” if they appear in the park – even if alone.
Throughout Saturday, large numbers of police officers patrolled the park and the neighboring Causeway Bay business district.
Among those they stopped and searched were people wearing black – the color of the Hong Kong protest, carrying flowers or walking around with their phone lights on.
Police later confirmed that they had arrested five men and one woman, aged between 19 and 80. One was accused of possessing a weapon; three were accused of obstructing officers; and one was said to incite others to participate in an unauthorized assembly. It was unclear what the sixth person was accused of.
Police also cordoned off an area of a nearby shopping street where in previous years pro-democracy activists had gathered to promote the vigil.
Still, some people were determined to visit the park and make their own little celebratory gestures.
Lau held up an electric candle for a photo in front of the barricaded soccer field. She said she and her colleagues had been handing out electric candles to Hong Kongers all afternoon – in keeping with the group’s tradition.
“I think the vigil is the most important symbol of the Hong Kong people’s pursuit of freedom – it shows the world our unwavering determination. I believe we all have a candle lit in our hearts tonight, whether we choose to leave or not.”
After dark, the police cordoned off more areas of the park, evicting residents. Eventually, all entrances were blocked off, allowing people to just exit the park.
Inside the park, two women sang “Democracy Will Triumph and Return,” one of the traditional vigil songs, as they walked along a running track. The police followed not far behind, pressing on the cordon line.
Brian, a 30-year-old man dressed entirely in black, turned on his phone’s flashlight at 8 pm, the traditional lighting time. He did this despite being searched by police while sitting in the park in the early evening, when officers recorded his identification number. He said he was willing to pay the price.
“The government doesn’t want us to tell the truth. If we don’t leave, I fear that future generations of Hong Kong will no longer know about June 4th,” he said.
Outside the park, people who could no longer enter walked the streets, some with their telephone lights on.
Joe, 46, brought his 11-year-old daughter to the park, only to be turned away. Instead, they were at a bus stop across the road, each holding an electric candle.
“Candles are a symbol of Hong Kong remembrance, but now it seems that even holding them can be dangerous,” he said.
Still, he was glad he’d brought his daughter along. “I want her to know what happened back then as much as I can,” he said.
Artist Chan has written on the scroll with what appears to be alcohol, and lit a candle at the end of it. pic.twitter.com/CmIYlEXUMl
— Holmes Chan (@holmeschan_) June 3, 2022
*With information from Lauren Faith Lau
Source: CNN Brasil
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