June 4 marked the 33rd anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party’s Tiananmen Square massacre.
In Hong Kong as in mainland China, any commemoration of the atrocity faced a crackdown by authorities. Many foreign consulates in Hong Kong lit candlelights and posted messages on social media to mourn the victims of the massacre, while expressing concern about the denial of Hong Kong people’s right to peaceful assembly.
Some Hong Kong media quoted sources saying that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) had pressured the consulates not to speak on the issue, but to no avail.
According to Ming Pao, the Office of the Commissioner of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Hong Kong put pressure on governments to self-censor and not take a position, threatening potential consequences for bilateral relations….