Guest Comments by Jens Galschiot

Editor's Note: A Danish sculptor, Galschiot created the Pillar of Shame statue as a reminder of the Beijing Massacre (June 4, 1989) when Chinese soldiers killed thousands of innocent citizens, many of them student protesters. Each year, the Pillar stands tall at a candlelight vigil in Hong Kong.

DENMARK -- Help remember the 21st anniversary of the Beijing Massacre. In 1989, Chinese student-protesters had occupied Tiananmen Square in Beijing for months, trying to press the Chinese government to move towards democracy and against corruption. But on June 4, 1989, the People's Liberation Army killed many of the unarmed students.

Let's give the Chinese back their history. Truth about the Beijing Massacre is banned throughout China. Luckily, many newspaper articles and fliers were collected by the democracy movement in Hong Kong. These Chinese and English documents were scanned and placed online. They can be downloaded for free (http://www.aidoh.dk/4June89).

After the 1989 crackdown, many young protesters were imprisoned. Some remain in jail, but are no longer young. China still practices massive censorship about the massacre, and most Chinese people can't obtain uncensored information.

But thousands of Chinese students study at universities in the West. Most don't even know their own history. So I invite you to download and print out the documentation or burn it on CDs. Place it in libraries or present it as a gift to Chinese students. This sustains memories about the victims and may inspire a new Chinese generation to see democracy as possible.

In 1997, I erected an eight-meter Pillar of Shame statue in Hong Kong to recall the massacre victims. This year, I decided not to go to Hong Kong, despite being invited as in the past by the democracy movement there, to join activities ahead of the 21st anniversary of the crackdown. For the past two years, Hong Kong immigration authorities unjustly refused me entry. So I won't risk again booking an expensive ticket and enduring a long flight just to be sent back immediately.

Evidently, China's government has tightened its grip on Hong Kong. Other critics have been denied entry too. So Hong Kong gets deprived of a sort of cultural exchange taken for granted in more open, democratic societies. Such denials blatantly violate the principle of “One Country, Two Systems” promised before Hong Kong's reversion to China in 1997.

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