Ahead of Tiananmen Anniversary, Protest Held to Call for Release of Hong Kong Activists

by Brian Hioe

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Photo Credit: 華人民主書院協會/Facebook

TAIWANESE CIVIL SOCIETY groups called for the release of Hong Kong activists Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung on June 1st outside of Taipei’s Ximending shopping district.

Lee and Chow were respectively the chair and vice chair of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China. The group was the primary organizer of the rallies held in Victoria Park annually to commemorate the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre each year on June 4th.

Such rallies historically drew tens of thousands. In the years since the rise of localist sentiments in Hong Kong, it became debated as to whether Hongkongers should commemorate events that took place in China or not, seeing as some Hongkongers have come to increasingly view Hong Kong as an independent nation-state from China. But even so, rallies for Tiananmen Square still continued to be large. With the deterioration in civic freedoms in Hong Kong in past years, it is now only Taiwan in the Sinophone world that can still commemorate the anniversary of Tiananmen Square.

Photo credit: 華人民主書院協會/Facebook

The two have been detained since September 2021 on the basis of pre-trial detention. The trials have seen numerous delays, with a verdict only expected in June or mid-July. The Chinese government has seen fit to delay the trials of many Hong Kong activists as part of what appears to be a tactic aimed at preventing international exposure of their sentencing.

The demonstration in Ximen was held to take place ahead of the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre on June 4th. This is usually commemorated in Taiwan with a vigil, which may involve speeches by Tiananmen Square survivors, Taiwanese political activists, and Hongkongers living in exile in Taiwan. Speakers at the rally called for the unconditional release of Chow and Lee.

Even so, it is clear that international pressure may have its limits on China. Though US President Donald Trump has been called on to advocate for the release of imprisoned Hong Kong publisher Jimmy Lai during his recent meeting with Xi Jinping, and though Trump claims he did, this may have had little effect, and may have simply been a token gesture. As for Taiwan, China may precisely aim to make such individuals into examples to dissuade Taiwan from straying away from China. It proves difficult to advocate for the release of Hong Kong activists in Taiwan. then.