'WE ARE HERE': Torontonians gather for Tiananmen Square vigil as crackdowns continue in Hong Kong

2,500 Torontonians gathered at Mel Lastman Square on Sunday evening to hold a vigil marking 34 years since the Tiananmen Square Massacre.

The event comes as the Chinese Communist Party banned what was once the world's largest vigil remembering the massacre for the 4th consecutive year amid ongoing crackdowns and reports that its former location in Victoria Park would host a pro-China carnival instead.



MC Amanda said, "We are here to make sure that the truth and the history will never be forgotten, erased, or rewritten."

Winnie Ng, chairperson for the Toronto Association for Democracy in China, said "From Tiananmen Square to Victoria Park. From Victoria Park to Mel Lastman Square, WE ARE HERE!"

She condemned the crackdown on pro-democracy protestors in Hong Kong in 2019, and the banning of the Tiananmen Square vigil in Victoria Park, saying that "Hong Kong has become a police state."

Ng went on to say "We have the responsibility here to keep the flame of June 4 burning. We also have the responsibility to safeguard our democratic system here," hinting at the foreign interference from the CCP that has recently been exposed in Canada.

Looking out at the crowd, former Canadian Senator Con Di Nino said "I hope the Chinese are watching," before condemning CCP for its actions. "The issue really becomes how long, and what do we do about it? How long, we don't know. But what we do about it is to continue to come to these kinds of gatherings on a regular basis until such time as the people in China and the people of China are free, and let the Chinese government know that they are wrong."

MPP Bhutila Karpoche said "The Chinese government wants the world to forget and move on. But we will never forget, and we must never forget."

Jonathan Krehm began his speech by saying "We sometimes in Canada are a little too comfortable, and too complacent about our rights and our democratic rights," going on to urge the crowd to call for a real inquiry into CCP election interference.

The event also featured an assortment of musicians and singers, and as the event drew to a close, attendees sang the pro-democracy protest song "Glory to Hong Kong."

Flowers were then laid out in remembrance of those who lost their lives at the hands of the CCP as the event concluded.