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| Police close down part of Victoria Park |
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| This is what they used to be like |
Another "June 4" comes around, the 32nd since that infamous massacre on the streets of Tian'anmen, 4th June 1989 (In Chinese: 六四, liu si). J was there. I'd just been there. So it's bright in our memories. But in China it's down the memory hole: no-one under 40 knows it; most under 60 don't.
They're trying to do the same here in Hong Kong, to the anniversary which has been commemorated since 1989. Every year, but last year, when Covid stopped public gatherings. in a pandemic that doesn't stop giving, the government are using the same excuse this year, in shutting down any commemorations again. That's the "Covid cover".
The Streisand effect is that in shutting it down and sending the cops around town to harass and prosecute anyone trying to organise any activity they're bringing even more notice to the anniversary and even more notice to Beijing's heavy hand. If they'd simply ignored it, let people do whatever it was they wanted to do, I'm going to guess that there'd have been nothing like the coverage. That's the Streisand effect.
It seems like dictators the world over won't or can't learn that lesson.
Meantime: I'm wondering how long the SCMP will be allowed to run stories like this or editorials like this. I sure don't want that other shoe to drop, but I'm worried.
ADDED: Remembering June 4 last year
