This week marks the 20th anniversary of the 1989 Tian’anmen Square protests where “Tank Man” (as he’s now nicknamed) changed lives forever with his bravery.
The Chinese government, however, has been quick to hush the event for anyone looking to make a similar statement. They’ve prevented student protests, censored CNN segments, and even blocked sites like Twitter and Flickr.
When I visited China with my family 2 years ago, we visited Tian’anmen Square; needless to say, it was packed with tourists. However, looking at the footage above, you’d never think so. The police have managed to clear the entire square using cheap tactics.
The sad part about this whole incident is that the hundreds of student protesters that died in the square 20 years ago probably never imagined the amount of control that the Chinese government now has.
In some ways, the country hasn’t changed since 1989.
