Photo Essay: Remembering the Tiananmen Square Protests, 26 Years Later
On June 4, 1989, leaders of the Chinese Communist Party ordered the People’s Liberation Army to open fire on thousands of student protesters in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square to stamp out a pro-democracy protest. A day later, the famous “Tank Man” episode played out before camera.
Nonviolent and unarmed civilians were confronted by military troops and tanks, resulting in many deaths.
Officially, 241 people were killed, although unconfirmed estimates of the death toll are into the thousands.
Since the Tiananmen Square incident, the Chinese government has dedicated considerable effort to erase the event from Chinese collective memory.
The anniversary of Tiananmen is of particular note this year because it follows the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.
Copyright 2015 The Daily Signal
