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Nathan Law: 'We must continue to resist China's totalitarian regime'

Audio 04:18

Pro-democracy activist Nathan Law on October 24, 2017 in Hong Kong.

REUTERS - BOBBY YIP

By: Heike Schmidt Follow

4 mins

It was 33 years ago.

On June 4, 1989, tanks rolled into Tiananmen Square in the heart of Beijing to bloodily crush a student movement demanding democracy and an end to corruption in China.

To commemorate the victims, the exact number of which remains unknown at this time, rallies will be held this Saturday in London and other cities around the world.

Interview with Nathan Law, prominent activist of the Hong Kong pro-democracy movement, who lives in exile in London.  

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RFI: This year again, any commemoration of the Tiananmen massacre is prohibited in Hong Kong.

In the absence of being able to light candles in Victoria Park to pay tribute to the victims, as has been the tradition since June 4, 1989, you are organizing a large rally in London this Saturday.

On Twitter, you write:

What message do you want to send to Beijing?

Nathan Law:

The Chinese totalitarian regime wants the atrocities it has committed to be forgotten.

He hopes that we will thus forget to demand that he be held accountable for his actions and that as time passes, we will also forget to commemorate the victims.

For us, therefore, it is really essential to continue to pay tribute to the victims of the massacre committed

, no matter where we are.

We must warn about the true nature of the Chinese Communist Party which has never changed.

We must continue to resist.  

In Victoria Park, Hong Kong, a vigil to mark the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen massacre, June 4, 2019. REUTERS / Tyrone Siu

Most pro-democracy activists are imprisoned or live in exile.

What will the atmosphere be like on June 4 in Hong Kong, and how will Hong Kongers remember?

It is almost impossible to organize any public gathering in Hong Kong.

I guess people are going to light candles in their homes, because anyone who attends a rally risks being arrested.

This is the political reality in Hong Kong today.

So, for those who have gone into exile abroad, we organize demonstrations in many cities.

In the United Kingdom, in at least ten cities, people will light candles to commemorate the victims, because it is in this country that the largest community of Hong Kongers lives.

►Also read: Hong Kong: a statue commemorating the victims of Tiananmen dismantled

Since you had to leave Hong Kong, you have never stopped campaigning for democracy in the former British colony.

Have you been able to reconstitute a pro-democracy movement in exile?  

I would not say that there is a real movement for democracy abroad, but there are more and more people who are mobilizing and campaigning for this cause, in order to awaken consciences and alert public opinion. public about human rights violations in China.

It is our duty.

We fled Hong Kong, but we bear a responsibility and must be the voice of Hong Kongers.

The world needs to be reminded of what is going on there.  

Are Hong Kong youth still mobilized or have the Chinese authorities succeeded in muzzling any opposition?  

I cannot reach my friends directly on the spot, because that would put them in danger.

The Hong Kong government could accuse them of colluding with me.

That would be enough to send them to prison.

What I do know is that it has become extremely difficult to be an activist in Hong Kong.

But I am convinced that there are quite a few people who are trying to continue the fight.

It is a silent militancy, they support for example prisoners and their relatives.

They organize private conferences to demonstrate their opposition.  

It is precisely for having helped the prisoners and their families that the 90-year-old Cardinal Joseph Zen will be tried in September 2022. What can the international community do to reason with Beijing?

I think Beijing is no longer afraid of international repercussions.

They are determined to continue on the path of totalitarianism.

We must therefore reinforce our vigilance, continue to defend democracy and also to hold China to account for all human rights violations committed on its soil.

This is the only way to support Hong Kongers who continue to fight for their freedoms.

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