Hundreds in Los Angeles Commemorate Victims of Tiananmen Square Massacre
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On the 34th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, hundreds of Chinese democracy activists and supporters in Los Angeles participated in a car parade and candlelight vigil outside the Chinese consulate. According to organizers, their goal was to awaken more people to the truth of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, also known as the “June 4th Incident,” and the nature of the Chinese Communist Party’s dictatorship and tyranny.
On the afternoon of June 4, the National Headquarters of the Chinese Democratic Party hosted an “LA Democracy Car Parade” in Los Angeles. More than 70 vehicles with over 120 participants took part. The vehicles displayed the words “34th Anniversary of June 4th.” The convoy started from the San Gabriel 16 supermarket and passed through shopping and business streets known to have a high concentration of Chinese speakers, such as California Supermarket, Shun Fa Supermarket, and Ding Pangzi Square. Along the way, residents opened their windows to listen, watch, and take photos, and many expressed approval by giving a thumbs up. The car parade ended around 5:00 p.m.
The Tiananmen Square Massacre took place in Beijing, China on June 4, 1989 when members of the People’s Liberation Army killed an estimated thousands of pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square. Because of heavy censorship and propaganda in China from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), many people from China do not even know that the event happened.
“There are indeed some people who are not even aware of the ‘June 4th Incident.’ We organize these activities to awaken them to the truth and make them recognize the CCP’s tyranny. I think it’s great progress even if awakening one person at a time,” organizer Jie Lijian, executive director of the Youth Department of the Chinese Democratic Party, told Sound of Hope.
“After understanding, if you rise up against the CCP’s tyranny, don’t aid and abet its evil, it is still a great way to dismantle the evil power of the CCP. Because if I withdraw my support, eventually abandon it, become tired of it … The CCP has lost popular support, and people are awakening. This demonic regime of the CCP will inevitably collapse.”
After the car parade, participants pulled a huge signboard labeled the “National Mourning Column” and marched around the commercial and residential areas near the Chinese consulate in Los Angeles. Hundreds of people from mainland China participated in the “June 4th” memorial event in front of the consulate. Participants included those who came to the United States after the 2000s and parents who brought their children to learn about the truth of the Tiananmen Square Massacre.
Jie said that he was pleasantly surprised that more people attended this year than last year, and many people no longer wore hats, sunglasses, or masks. They are no longer afraid of the CCP’s threats. On the contrary, they were collecting license plates numbers and personal information of those who work for the CCP and sending them to the FBI for investigation.
At the gathering, people wrote and attached their condolences for the “June 4th Incident” to the “June 4th Wall” and paid their respects by bowing three times and offering incense to the martyrs. They collectively presented wreaths and speeches to commemorate those who died. Then they lit a torch symbolizing democracy and burned the five-starred CCP flag and the communist “hammer and sickle” flag. Many participants spoke out against the CCP’s tyranny.
Mr. Zhu Gaofeng, a participant who came to the United States a year ago, was arrested by the CCP for organizing online mourning for the Tiananmen Square Massacre. He told Sound of Hope, “June 4th is a sore spot for the CCP. We must definitely let more people who have already gained their freedom see the evil of the CCP and spread this message. I hope people here will join these memorial activities to put pressure on the Communist Party and let more people recognize the evil of the CCP.”
Zhu explained, “In China now, even a picture of a candlelight vigil cannot be sent out, let alone the words ‘8964.’ If you manage to send them out, they will be completely censored.”
To conclude, participants at the consulate held up a tank model similar to the one seen in the iconic “Tank Man” photo, symbolizing the massacre of the people on June 4 and signifying that the bloodshed will eventually be repaid. The event ended at 8 p.m.
“Chinese consulates, ‘June 4th’ Freedom Park, ‘June 4th’ candlelight vigils are blooming all over the world, just as Danish human rights activist Gao Zhihuo said, a national mourning column in Hong Kong was illegally confiscated and collapsed with a bang,” said Jie.
“There are countless national mourning columns blooming all over the world. Indeed, many organizations around the world have held memorial events for ‘June 4th,’ including the Arc de Triomphe in France, Berlin in Germany, Tokyo in Japan, South Korea, and many overseas support groups participating in the ‘Blank Paper Movement.’ They are the main force. Water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it. It’s where the hearts of the people lie.”
Jie firmly believes that in the near future, they will personally go to Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China, to mourn the heroes of “June 4th” up close.
Wang Xiao from Sound of Hope contributed to this report.
