Controversy Over Video of Man Standing on Road
Comments Posted in Japanese, English, Chinese, and Taiwanese
As the 36th anniversary of the Tiananmen pro-democracy protests that took place in China on June 4, 1989, arrives, controversy has arisen after the official X account (formerly Twitter) of the British Embassy in Beijing posted a video evoking memories of the Tiananmen Incident.
On June 4, the official X account of the British Embassy in Beijing uploaded a video that begins with a man standing on a road. Netizens pointed out that this reminded them of the "Tank Man," a symbolic figure from the Tiananmen pro-democracy protests, because the man in the video was wearing a white top and black pants, just like the man who stood in front of the line of tanks on Chang'an Avenue in central Beijing.
Video related to the 36th anniversary of Tiananmen posted on the British Embassy in Beijing's official X account.
One netizen commented, "This video reminds me of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests," and added, "It evokes the symbolic figure who resisted the violent suppression of protesters." The commenter continued, "The Chinese government considers such incidents dangerous and strictly prohibits and censors any discussion about them," and criticized, "The embassy's post stands in stark contrast to China's position."
There were also many comments such as "I don't know what this means" and "Please explain clearly." People expressed their views in various languages, including Japanese, English, Chinese, and Taiwanese. Numerous photos were also posted, such as images of tanks reminiscent of the time, photos of Mao Zedong, and pictures of Tiananmen. Some comments read, "China tries to erase this, but the world will never forget," while others said, "Don't meddle in another country's history."
People attending the candlelight vigil commemorating the 36th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square incident held at Tiananmen Square in Taipei. Photo by AP Yonhap News
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te wrote on Facebook on June 4, "Commemorating the June 4 Tiananmen Incident is not only about mourning history, but also about keeping this memory alive forever." He added, "Authoritarian governments try to forget history, but democratic societies strive to preserve the truth and remember those who gave their lives and dreams for human rights."
According to Taiwan's Central News Agency (CNA), a memorial rally for Tiananmen was held that evening at Liberty Square in front of Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in central Taipei. Several Taiwanese NGOs have been holding related commemorative events, such as human rights photo exhibitions, since the end of last month.
The Tiananmen Incident refers to the event in which the Chinese Communist Party brutally suppressed students and citizens demanding democratization at Tiananmen Square in Beijing in 1989, resulting in the deaths of countless people. Although the protests began around mid-April, June 4?the day the authorities' bloody crackdown concluded?became the day to commemorate the Tiananmen Incident. China strictly forbids any mention of this event, in which it is estimated that at least several hundred to several thousand people lost their lives.
Chinese authorities only refer to this incident as a "political disturbance" (fengbo, meaning severe dispute or turmoil). Terms such as "6.4" and "Tiananmen" cannot even be searched on Chinese social media. If searched, the results state, "Cannot answer this question" or "No related content found."
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