Tiananmen Square Anniversary Panel | Oxford Union

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30 Years on from the Tiananmen Square protests and massacres, the torch of democracy and freedom is increasingly difficult to carry in China. Through censorship and collective amnesia, the events of 1989 have often been diminished. Millions poured onto the streets in a peaceful protest, and the government violently retaliated. How important is this memory and legacy to pro democracy movements in China today, and how can we best commemorate the protests and demands of students and workers on the Square?

SPEAKERS

Fengsuo Zhou: Zhou was a leader of the pro-democracy Tiananmen protests, and fifth on the most wanted list of student leaders. He is now the President of Humanitarian China.

Wu’er Kaixi: Kaixi had an important student presence in 1989, and was second on the most wanted list. He was a leader of hunger strikes and was responsible for organising the protests.

Dongfang Han: Dongfang is a labour and democracy activist. He founded Communist China’s first independent union, becoming the most wanted worker leader. He now leads the China Labour Bulletin.

Dr Shao Jiang: Jiang was a member of the student leadership, who spent 8 years under house arrest as a prisoner of conscience in China.

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