- Jun 3, 2016
- 3 min read

China's failed attempt to erase Tiananmen square massacre from history.

On Jun 4, 1989, Chinese troops stormed through Tiananmen Square in the center of Beijing, killing and arresting thousands of pro-democracy protesters in what would become known as the Tiananmen Square massacre. The Tiananmen massacre was precipitated by the peaceful gatherings of students, workers, and others in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square and other cities in April 1989 calling for freedom of expression, accountability, and an end to corruption. The government responded to the intensifying protests in late May 1989 by declaring martial law. This was but a prelude the the planned crackdown the Chinese Communist party unleased on the unsuspecting pro democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square.

Between June 3 and 4, 1989, the tanks rolled into the square and the military opened fire and killed untold numbers of peaceful protesters and bystanders. China's statement at the end of June 1989 said that 200 civilians and several dozen security personnel had died in Beijing following the suppression of "counter-revolutionary riots" on 4 June 1989. Outside sources has put the number of at least several thousands, and up to 10,000 people who were massacred by the Chinese security forces, according to recently declassified documents. Following the killings, the government implemented a national crackdown and arrested thousands of people for “counter-revolution” and other criminal charges, including disrupting social order and arson.

Beijing residents inspect the interior of some of more than 20 armored personnel carriers burned by demonstrators to prevent the troops from moving into Tiananmen Square.

The events of Tiananmen Square have been effectivly erased from Chinese history.

To this day the Chinese government continues to deny that it murdered thousands of its citizens, bans public discussion of the protests, and suppresses independent information sources such as internet sites, international media and social media websites that might mention it. Over the years, a large number of activists have been detained, charged, or sentenced by the Communist party for commemorating the Tiananmen Massacre. The last individual known to have been imprisoned for his involvement in the 1989 pro-democracy protests was released as late as October 2016, but many other participants have been re-incarcerated for their continuing pro-democracy activism, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo, Sichuan activists Liu Xianbin and Chen Wei, and Guangdong activist Guo Feixiong. Under President Xi, the Chinese government has aggressively cracked down on a broad array of human rights, targeting civil society activists, further constricting freedom of expression and religion, as well as increasing ideological control.

The official denial and censorship has largely served the government’s purpose: most Chinese people are unaware of the Tiananmen Square massacre, and those comparative few who do know of it are coerced into silence.

This year, one of the most notable examples of the government’s annual crackdown on information began in April, when every language version of Wikipedia was blocked in China, instead of just the Chinese-language version and individual articles about sensitive issues like the Tiananmen Square protests and Tibet. All social media's websites are blocked in Chna, but China has even managed to have Twitter silence a group of well known Chinese activists days before the 30 years Tiananmen commemorations. However, despite The Chinese Communist Party's relentless efforts to block, censor and remove the truth about Tiananmen and what the CCP did, the truth has spread and became known worldwide. In fact one can argue that the more the CCP cracked down on the truth about what happened in Tiananmen square the more famous it became outside China. So with everyone outside China aware of the truth, the question is how long will CCP be able to hide and supprese the truth about what happened in 1989 in Tiananmen square from the Chinese people.