On the 36th anniversary of the June 4th Incident, members of the Beijing "Tiananmen Mothers" group made a low-key visit to the Wan'an Cemetery in Haidian District to pay tribute to their deceased relatives. This year, for the first time, the authorities cut off all communication with the outside world, prohibiting them from carrying mobile phones and cameras, and implementing a comprehensive information blockade.
On the morning of June 4th, police arranged a special vehicle to escort the Tiananmen Mothers to the Wan'an Cemetery to mourn their loved ones who were shot dead in 1989. Repeated calls to spokesperson You Weijie and member Zhang Xianling were unanswered or indicated the numbers were unavailable. Encrypted messaging tools were also unavailable, displaying "offline" or "unable to receive messages." Attempts to contact relatives, human rights lawyers, and scholars supporting the group were unsuccessful.
Finally, an insider who requested anonymity for security reasons confirmed that this year's memorial service did take place. He recalled, "Several elderly mothers, clutching white chrysanthemums, silently entered the cemetery, laying flowers and observing from a distance. I followed them and observed from a distance that security at the cemetery was particularly tight. Plainclothes officers patrolled the main gate and surrounding areas, and roadside parking was prohibited."
Public security strictly prohibits bringing mobile phones and cameras to memorial sites
On May 31st, the Tiananmen Mothers released an open letter signed by 108 relatives of victims mourning those who passed away over the past year and reiterating their demands: a fair investigation into the incident, the publication of a list of the dead, compensation for the families, and accountability for those responsible. 87-year-old Zhang Xianling recently choked up in a video: "For 36 years, we have repeatedly sought dialogue with the authorities, but all we have received is surveillance and repression."
According to insiders, on the evening of June 3rd, national security officers warned participants not to bring cell phones or cameras and emphasized "civilized mourning." On the day of the memorial service, police sent vehicles to pick up Zhang Xianling and others. Plainclothes officers were stationed at the scene, filming and monitoring the scene. A notice was hung at the cemetery entrance: "Registration required for entry. Photography prohibited in some areas."
Zhang Xianling's son Wang Nan was shot at the intersection of Beijing's Nanchang Street and Chang'an Avenue late at night on June 3, 1989. He was only 19 years old.
The WeChat profile picture has been uniformly replaced with a "green penguin" due to cyberspace anomalies.
At the same time, unusual reactions occurred in China's cyberspace. In early June, in Tencent's game "Golden Spatula Wars," all WeChat user profile pictures were uniformly changed to green penguins and could not be changed, which attracted widespread attention from players. One netizen lamented on the X platform: "Penguins were originally a symbol of entertainment, but now they have become a mask of censorship." In addition, on June 4th, WeChat and Tencent users were prohibited from changing their profile pictures. Tencent described this move as "purifying the online environment during the college entrance examination," but netizens questioned whether it was another form of political censorship. Independent observers pointed out: "Avatars, colors, emoticons, these seemingly harmless symbols can all be seen as political threats."
Every year around June 4th, Chinese social media platforms block keywords such as "square", "tank", and "8964". Related content is immediately deleted and the posting accounts face being banned.
The embassy's commemorative event in China triggered domestic post deletion and comment ban
On June 4th, human rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang posted a commemorative message on the X platform, but was warned by police to delete the content. Meanwhile, the German, British, and Canadian embassies in China posted commemorative messages on Weibo. The British Embassy even uploaded photos and anime videos of "Tank Man," triggering a large number of post deletions and comment bans in China.
Mr. Li, a former People's Daily reporter who experienced the June Fourth Incident, lamented, "This year, the authorities' sensitivity to June Fourth is unprecedented. The Tiananmen Mothers' memorial service, a basic expression of humanity, has been treated as a political act."
The reporter called the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau office several times to inquire about the portrait incident and the communication cut-off of the June 4th victims' families, but the phone was always busy and no one responded.
