BEIJING – Today marks the 23rd anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, but in China any mention of that day remains forbidden.
The Chinese government, which forbids any recognition of the massacre and the events leading up to it, has taken special measures in the last few days to further censor acknowledgement of the protests. Chinese micro-bloggers on the popular site Sina Weibo particularly felt the effects of censorship. Dissident posts were “harmonized” (removed) in minutes, profile pictures could not be changed, and the candle emoticon was removed.
The list of blocked words was extensive, including words, names and numbers that related to the incident from “never forget” to “tank” to “-ism.” On television, the BBC’s channel was blacked out during their segment on Tiananmen.
In the square on Sunday a small group of protesters were beaten and detained, Mao’s mausoleum was closed, and large groups of uniformed and plainclothes police monitored the area. Today, it was quiet save for slightly heightened police presence.
However, the government hasn’t been able to control all responses to the anniversary. The U.S. Department of State issued a statement acknowledging the loss of life in the massacre, and encouraging the Chinese government’s protection of human rights.
