Remembering Tiananmen Square

On June 4, 1989, a group of students stood in Tiananmen Square, in front of the Imperial Palace in Beijing China. They were protesting the authoritarian nature of the Chinese government and advocating social and economic change. These protests had been going on since April 15 to honor the death of Hu Yaobang, an advocate of social change in the Chinese government. On June 4, federal tanks entered Tiananmen Square to clear it. Official reports listed 241 dead and 7000 wounded.

I was barely five months old when these tragic events occurred, so I obviously don’t remember the day they happened. I did, however, have the opportunity to go to China with my high school band four years ago. Our first stop was Beijing, and we visited Tiananmen Square and the Imperial Palace. We were warned before our trip not to bring up the Tiananmen Square massacre—it is an extremely taboo topic in China even today. So we stopped in Tiananmen Square, and nobody mentioned a topic that was probably on most of our minds. It was chilling to stand there were, sixteen years ago, such violence was committed.

As an American, there are many areas where I might like to see my country improve. But something I think all Americans can agree on is our appreciation of our right to free speech. Granted, not every individual respects this right, but our government and our Constitution guarantee us the rights to speak our minds and to protest peacefully. It is this constitutional right that has protected us from the violence of Tiananmen Square when we disagree with the powers that be.

In the words of Voltaire, “I may disagree with what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”

Today, twenty years after the massacre at Tiananmen Square, let us remember what intolerance leads to. We can respect someone who holds viewpoint that differs from our own without agreeing with him or her. Let us be a beacon of love and tolerance, not just of our friends and allies, but also of those with whom we may disagree.

Tags: anniversary, square, tiananmen