On the night of the 33rd anniversary of the pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen, China, on the night of the 4th, people were arrested by Hong Kong authorities while paying tribute to the victims.



Foreign embassies in Hong Kong, including the United States, the European Union (EU), Australia, and Canada, also lighted 'candles' in their offices to protest the authorities' crackdown.



According to today's Hong Kong Myungbo, as of 11:30 last night, at least six people have been arrested in connection with the Tiananmen pro-democracy protest commemoration.



Among them, Lau Shanqing of the Social Democratic Movement, a Hong Kong civic group, was arrested on charges of shouting seditious slogans.



At the time of his arrest, he was wearing a T-shirt featuring the late Li Wangyang, who served 22 years in prison after participating in the Tiananmen protests on June 4, 1989.



Chan Poing, chairman of the Social Democratic Movement, criticized that some members were arrested or checked, saying, "For the past 33 years (the memorial event) has always been peaceful. But today, the police are as if they are facing a huge enemy."



As of 7:30 pm yesterday, Hong Kong police declared Victoria Park a 'zone of operation' and forced everyone present at the scene to leave.



Since 1990, a candlelight vigil to commemorate the Tiananmen Democratization Protest has been held every year on June 4 at 8:00 PM in Victoria Park.



However, the Hong Kong authorities have banned the Victoria Park assembly on June 4 due to COVID-19 for three consecutive years from 2020, and since last year, the site has been closed on the same day, blocking access to citizens.



Hundreds of Hong Kong citizens protested last year by lighting candles on the streets as Victoria Park was locked down.



The Hong Kong police then warned that individual actions in public places could lead to arrests related to illegal assemblies ahead of June 4 of this year, and yesterday checkpoints focused on those wearing black clothes and holding artificial flowers or candles.



In Hong Kong, black clothes symbolize anti-government protesters in 2019.



According to the South China Morning Post, a former district councilor carrying a box of toy tanks was also arrested.



The U.S. Consulate General in Hong Kong lit many electronic candles on the windows of the building for viewing from the outside, and posted the statement of U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blincoln on Facebook.



In a statement yesterday, Secretary Blincoln described the bloody crackdown on the Tiananmen protests as "cruel violence" and said "the efforts of brave individuals will never be forgotten." do,” he said.



The Hong Kong Correspondent Office, the Hong Kong office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, issued a statement saying "immediately stop the deceptive political show".



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The EU office in Hong Kong posted a photo of a candle on its official Twitter account and wrote, "The violent suppression of China 33 years ago shocked the world. The EU always stands in solidarity with the defenders of freedom and human rights in peace around the world." A tweet from an EU spokesperson was posted.



The official Twitter account of the Dutch, French and Finnish consulates in Hong Kong also retweeted Masralli's tweet.



British Consul General Brian Davidson in Hong Kong said in a statement that "I was a witness to the repression".



The Canadian Consulate in Hong Kong posted on Facebook a photo of a candlelight vigil held in Hong Kong in the past, saying, "Peaceful assembly is a human right. Canada stands with all those who have been blocked from exercising their rights."



Australian and Polish consulates in Hong Kong also commemorated the Tiananmen pro-democracy protests and expressed their solidarity with Hong Kong citizens through social media.



(Photo = Getty Images Korea)