The US consulate in Hong Kong displayed commemorative candles in its windows on the 37th anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown on Thursday, while other diplomatic missions paid tribute with social media posts. Candles in the windows of the US Consulate General in Hong Kong on June 4, 2026, the 37th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. The annual move is often blasted by local and Chinese authorities , and has been cited by Beijing as “evidence” of foreign interference in a 6,300-word “ fact sheet .” Candles in the windows of the US Consulate General in Hong Kong on June 4, 2026, the 37th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown. Photo: Tom Grundy/HKFP. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, died when the People’s Liberation Army cracked down on protesters around Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in 1989. Candles in the windows of the US Consulate General in Hong Kong on June 4, 2026, the 37th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown. Photo: Tom Grundy/HKFP. Hong Kong used to be one of the few places on Chinese soil where annual vigils were held to commemorate the people who died in the 1989 crackdown. Candles in the windows of the US Consulate General in Hong Kong on June 4, 2026, the 37th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown. Photo: Tom Grundy/HKFP. But police banned the gathering at Victoria Park for the first time in 2020, citing Covid-19 restrictions, and imposed the same ban the following year. Candles in the windows of the US Consulate General in Hong Kong on June 4, 2026, the 37th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown. Photo: Tom Grundy/HKFP. No official commemoration has been held since the vigil organiser, the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, disbanded in September 2021. Its leaders were arrested and are currently on trial. Candles in the windows of the US Consulate General in Hong Kong on June 4, 2026, the 37th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown. Photo: Tom Grundy/HKFP. Currently occupying Victoria Park – historically the site of Hong Kong’s vigils – is a five-day patriotic carnival organised by pro-Beijing groups. Diplomatic commemorations
Earlier on Thursday, Britain’s embassy in China shared a social media post featuring an animation with scenes from the bloody crackdown. It was shared without commentary. Photo: UK in China, via X. The British consulate in Hong Kong posted a reel of a mobile phone held aloft with its torch on, apparently referencing the candlelit vigils. Photo: UK in Hong Kong via Facebook. Washington’s mission in Beijing shared a quote from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stating : “Those who sacrificed to uphold their unalienable rights of free expression and peaceful assembly will be vindicated someday.” Photo: U.S. Mission to China, via Facebook. In response , China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing had “long since reached a clear conclusion regarding that political turmoil that occurred in the late 1980s.” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning. File photo: China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Photo: China gov’t. The Canadian consulate in Hong Kong shared a Facebook post , which read: “Today, Canadians honour the memory of all who lost their lives, were injured or went missing during the Tiananmen Square crackdown on June 4, 1989. Canada stands with the survivors and the families and loved ones who continue to demand accountability.” Photo: Consulate General of Canada in Hong Kong & Macao via Facebook. Meanwhile, the Australian consulate in Hong Kong shared on Facebook a photo of candles and a statement reading: “Today, we stand with communities worldwide in remembering those who lost their lives at Tiananmen Square on 4 June 1989. Australia remains steadfast in its commitment to upholding human rights, including freedom of association, of expression, and of political participation.” Photo: Australian Consulate-General Hong Kong and Macau, via Facebook. In June 2019, then-leader Carrie Lam said that the city’s annual vigils were “proof that Hong Kong is a free place.” A Hong Kong court is now hearing a landmark trial of the Alliance and two vigil leaders , Chow Hang-tung and Lee Cheuk-yan. They are accused of “inciting subversion” under the national security law, an offence that carries a maximum penalty of 10 years behind bars. Another vigil leader – Albert Ho – pleaded guilty when the trial opened in January .