Wednesday, June 04, 2008

We Remember



... even if the government in China tries to erase the memories.

The events leading up to the massacre at Tianamen Square were a series of protests by labor organizations, students, and intellectuals against the economic policies of the Chinese government. While most of the western media attention focused on Tianamen Square in Beijing, like protests took place throughout the country. These protests were largely peaceful until the Chinese army moved in to crush the rebellion on this day in 1989. The resulting deaths ranged somewhere between 200 (the Chinese government figure) and 3000 (the high end estimated by student protest leaders--and the Chinese Red Cross.



The "lone protester" who stood in front of the tanks advancing on the square the next day became a symbol for the resistance showed by the protesters, but did not prevent thousands being swept up in a nation-wide dragnet which, along with continued use of brutal force, ended the protests.

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