Under the Hong Kong Security Law, the Hong Kong Branch Association, which has always insisted on human rights, elected a new management. Re-elected chairman Lee Cheuk-man told the TELEVISION that the CHouk was facing an existential crisis and had transferred some of its internal historical materials to foreign countries for temporary storage, but insisted on keeping the relics in the “June 4 Memorial Hall” for display in Hong Kong. For the past 30 years, Hong Kong has been the only place on Chinese soil to commemorate the June 4 festival. How much space does Hong Kong have to commemorate the June 4 Festival under the National Security Law?
Under the shadow of the Hong Kong Security Law, the 31-year-old Hong Kong People’s Federation of Patriotic And Democratic Movements (CIM) held its 32nd annual meeting on Saturday to elect a new standing committee, chairman and vice chairman and other key leaders. The new standing Committee was reduced from 20 to 15 members, with 14 standing for election.
More than half of the standing Committee mourned lee Cheuk-yan, president of the June 4 prosecution: prepare for the worst
Eight of the 14 standing committee members have been charged in connection with the June 4 memorial at Victoria Park. Among them, Mr Lee Cheuk-yan, who was re-elected as chairman, was charged with three counts of inciting others to knowingly participate in an unauthorized assembly, organising and participating in an unauthorized assembly and publicizing an unauthorized public procession.
In an interview with the Taiwan Radio, Mr Lee cheuk-yan described the toughest year for the SUC under the Hong Kong Security Law as another “existential crisis” faced by the SUC since 2003, when the Hong Kong Government proposed to force the adoption of article 23 of the Basic Law. While the reduction in the size of the Standing Committee was therefore intended to streamline the structure and reduce the risk posed by posts to the members of the Support Committee, he stressed that it would not affect the functioning of the Support Committee and that members would continue to support the work of the Support Committee in their respective posts.
He laments that it is impossible to predict when the Communist Party’s “red line” will be crossed under the Hong Kong Security Law. Tian Feilong, a Scholar from Beijing, wrote an article in a pro-Beijing newspaper earlier, calling the Branch Association a color revolutionary organization that colluded with outside forces in the name of “patriotism and democracy”. He even suggested that the “Prosecution and Punishment” branch association be established under the National Security Law and three local laws of Hong Kong.
“This year is the most serious time because people are uncertain about the red line,” he said. And the Communist Party does not operate on the basis of legal basis or evidence, even political prosecution, it depends on whether he wants to target you politically, people do not know, so I think we have to prepare for the worst and bear the consequences. But even if we have to bear the results, we feel that we must not shrink back or give up, and stick to the five principles as our future direction.”
Transfer the physical documents of the branch association to overseas memorial relics to remain in Hong Kong
And to prepare for the worst, also include the June 4 precious historical materials and cultural relics. Mr Lee told the BBC that historical materials and documents related to the June 4 festival had been digitised and put on the cloud as historical records, and an online “June 4 Memorial human Rights Museum” would be organized to protect memory. As for some of the iACS ‘internal historical data, they still want to keep physical paper records for future study. They have therefore contacted foreign historical archives to send the data abroad for temporary storage.
However, he said that after some struggle, the ASSOCIATION decided to keep the relics on display in Hong Kong and continue to display them to the public.
We don’t know, but I think it’s best to protect the relics themselves if we move them now. But our June 4 Memorial Hall has lost its important function, which is to let people see the relics, to complain about tu Cheng and to feel the atmosphere of that year. So our final conclusion is that we will continue to display the artifacts that are on display at the June 4 Memorial Museum, and in case they are confiscated, it will reflect the brutality and irrationality of the regime itself.”
The June 4 Memorial Hall, currently housed in a commercial building in Mong Kok, has gone through many twists and turns. It has been constantly relocated since 2012 and is frequently subject to lawsuits by the owners’ corporation of the building. Last year, the CHL finally acquired the present premises to reinstall the “June 4 Memorial Hall”, but it was sabotaged before its opening. At present, the museum exhibits precious cultural relics, including bullets donated by zhang Jian, a Chinese pro-democracy activist who passed away, and relics of the victims of the tiananmen Massacre donated by the tiananmen Mother.
One of the treasures of the Museum was a helmet worn by Zhang Xian-ling, one of the founders of Tiananmen Mother, when her son Wang Nan was killed. Wang Nan was shot through the head by martial law troops in the early hours of June 4, 1989, and died at the age of 19, with bullet holes clearly left in his helmet.
Tian ‘anmen Mother Zhang Xian-ling: Trust the tian ‘anmen mother will fight to the end
Mrs Cheung said in an interview that she had entrusted her son’s belongings to the CHF and believed that the CHF would take full responsibility and respect their decision.
She said that she had planned not to hold the June 4 candlelight vigil this year because of the epidemic, but she did not expect that a large number of people still held candlelight vigil and was gratified. However, she said it was difficult to predict whether Hong Kong would continue to commemorate June 4 in the coming year, but she believed that no matter whether Hong Kong would continue to commemorate June 4, it would be impossible to erase it from people’s minds.
Zhang Xian-ling said, “One country, two systems is the inevitable result of one country, one system. But this event, whether commemorated or not, is deeply engraved in the hearts of this generation. But as I personally and the Tian ‘anmen mother group speaking, we for the June 4 this matter must continue to fight to the end. You have killed civilians for no reason. You have killed civilians with your troops, tanks, guns and real knives. You can’t just say that it’s over without investigation, can you? So we’ll fight it out. How we do it is another matter, but I believe there are a lot of righteous people in the international community who will support us.”
Since 1990, the association has held an annual June 4 candlelight vigil at Victoria Park, with hundreds of thousands of participants, making it the largest and longest June 4 memorial event in the world. This year, citing the epidemic, the Hong Kong Police forbade the June 4 gala for the first time. A large number of candlelight vigils continued to be lit at Victoria Park and other places throughout Hong Kong. However, after the security law comes into effect, it has become a question whether the association can hold another party next year, or even whether Hong Kong people can light candles on that day. It has also become a touchstone for Hong Kong’s freedom and democracy.
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