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Thousands of Hong Kongers defy police ban to remember Tiananmen Square - CNN
Jun 04, 2020 58 secs
While numbers appeared down on previous years, and the usually well-organized memorial had a rather chaotic impromptu feel, they were by no means negligible, a major sign of defiance to Beijing.

Lee Cheuk-yan, an organizer and former lawmaker, led the crowd in chants of "end one-party rule," and "democracy for China!"

Others chanted slogans from last year's anti-government protests, including "fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong," and a more recent refrain, "Hong Kong independence, the only way out."

Those slogans could be illegal in the near future, as Beijing moves to impose a draconian national security law banning sedition, secession and separatism.

Similar laws have been used to crack down on dissidents and pro-democracy activists in China.

That impending law is currently being drafted in Beijing and will be imposed automatically in Hong Kong via a rarely used constitutional backdoor, bypassing the city's legislature.

The law hung over this year's Tiananmen memorial even before the event was officially banned, as both opposition and pro-government figures have predicted similar rallies could be illegal in future.

Hong Kong has long been the only place on Chinese soil where a mass commemoration of the June 4 crackdown is held.

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