Activists struggle to keep spotlight on Tiananmen in world beset by crises
Activist Alric Lee stands with a Goddess of Democracy statue at an exhibit he and a few other local advocacy groups organized in Tokyo, to highlight the Tiananmen crackdown and Hong Kong’s past tradition of holding vigils. (Photo by Kenji Kawase)
KENJI KAWASE
June 4, 2026 15:44 JST
Updated on June 4, 2026 21:09 JST
TOKYO — Thirty-seven years after the brutal Chinese military crackdown on unarmed students and citizens peacefully protesting for democracy at Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, activists are struggling to keep the memory from fading in a world beset by multiple bloody wars and relentless crises.
