4th June 2023 – (Hong Kong) Hong Kong authorities have ramped up security measures around Victoria Park and its surrounding Causeway Bay neighborhood to prevent protests on the 34th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown. In previous years, tens of thousands of Hong Kongers would gather in the park to commemorate the events of 4th June, 1989, often participating in candlelight vigils. However, this year, the park hosted a “hometown carnival fair” organised by pro-Beijing groups, and scores of police officers were deployed in the adjacent Causeway Bay shopping district to search shoppers and quickly remove performance artists and activists.
The heightened security measures resulted in the arrest of four people on Sunday for “seditious” acts and “disorderly conduct,” and another four were detained on suspicion of breaching the peace. According to reports, artist Sanmu Chen was seen chanting “Don’t forget Jun 4!” before he was taken away by the police.
Despite the heavy police presence, some individuals attempted to protest. At around 2pm today, a woman carrying a piece of paper with the words “Referendum” and “Free HK” written on it walked from Great George Street in Causeway Bay to Yee Wo Street before being stopped by police and taken away in a police car. Another two women were stopped by plainclothes police officers near Sogo department store at around 3.45 pm. One of them wore a yellow mask and a black t-shirt with a Chickeeduck logo, while the other wore a brown top. The police did not disclose whether they had been formally arrested or the reasons for their detention.