Police cancel Tiananmen Square event in Hong Kong

For the first time in 30 years, there will be no candlelight vigil in Hong Kong marking the anniversary of the day Chinese troops opened fire on pro-democracy protesters in Beijing in 1989. Hong Kong police on Monday denied the organizers’ application for Thursday’s Tiananmen Square memorial event.

Why did they nix the vigil? Police claimed to have concerns about the spread of the coronavirus in a large crowd. But activists said authorities are using the virus as an excuse to deny free speech. The Chinese government recently imposed a sweeping security law in Hong Kong that many experts believe will strip away any independence the semi-autonomous region had left. Thousands of Hong Kong residents are applying for passports that could allow them to move to the United Kingdom.

Dig deeper: Read June Cheng’s report on why the national security law is so devastating to freedom in the territory.