June 4

One man’s death was the spark that led to protests all around the country.

Protests broke out in every major city.

At the height of the protests, over 1 million protesters had gathered in the capital city.

That capital city? Beijing.

Protesters demanded government reform. They demanded an end to corruption that plagued the government. They demand human rights, freedom of speech. They demanded democracy.

After a month of protesting, the government had had enough and declared martial law. The military rolled into the capital city — with assault rifles and tanks, and opened fire on the demonstrators.

Estimates of the death toll vary from several hundred to several thousand, with thousands more wounded.

June 4, 1989

31 years ago today.

It seems even more relevant now than ever.

The event: the protests, the massacre are still censored on the Chinese internet.

31 years ago today.

六月四號