TIANANMEN CRACKDOWN, JUNE 1989
December 2025
Anatomy of a protest
ECONOMIC OPENING, POLITICAL LOCKDOWN
After Mao Zedong’s death, reformist leader Deng Xiaoping launched market reforms and limited opening, raising hopes of political change among students and city dwellers.
The removal in 1987 of Hu Yaobang, a more liberal former General Secretary, was perceived as a signal of closing of the regime: his death in April 1989 crystallised tensions and contributed to the outbreak of large-scale demonstrations.
PUBLIC MOURNING AND COALITION
Hu Yaobang’s funeral brought together tens of thousands of people in Beijing. In the weeks that followed, students, workers, civil servants and intellectuals united to call for political reforms, transparency, and action against corruption, censorship and violations of fundamental rights.
Peaceful demonstrations were then held across China, supported by millions of people.
SELF ORGANISATION, MILITARY CRUSHING
Tiananmen Square became a space of permanent occupation, where the movement took shape. On May 20, martial law was declared, and then, during the night of 3 to 4 June, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) retook the area by force, firing on demonstrators and carrying out mass arrests.
In 2017, a British diplomatic telegram from 1989 indicated that 10,000 civilians were killed that night.
A PERSECUTED MEMORY
In mainland China, any commemoration of June 4 is banned. The relatives of the victims demand truth, recognition and reparation in vain. In Hong Kong, the Alliance’s annual vigils have also been banned since 2020 under the National Security Law.
Three former leaders of the Alliance, Lee Cheuk-yan, Albert Ho and Chow Hang-tung, are being prosecuted for “incitement to subversion” and remain in detention awaiting trial.
THE STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS
Strengths: the protests mobilised millions of participants, relied on a student–worker alliance, and demonstrated strong self-organisation in the square.
Limitations: the absence of unified leadership, and strategic hesitation in the face of a regime ready to kill its own citizens left the movement unable to withstand repression.
