Tiananmen vigil park barricaded, but candles handed out

Members of the Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, the organizers of the annual June 4 vigil, went ahead with distribution of candles outside Victoria Park today, even though the venue remained closed off, RTHK reports.
Three layers of barricades have been erected to keep people away from the Victoria Park football pitches, which used to be the venue for the annual event for three decades.
Police had denied permission this year, citing the social distancing measures in place due to the coronavirus outbreaks, but the alliance and opposition parties say this is just a ploy to prevent the remembrance of the 1989 massacre in Beijing.
Sources have earlier indicated that officers will not interfere if people in small groups as allowed under the coronavirus restrictions hold vigil at the venue.
But with authorities barricading the park and announcing it has been temporarily shut, entry into the football pitch area has been prevented.
Riot police officers were patrolling the nearby areas hours before the 8:00pm vigil that organizers have called for. Some officers were also seen recording the organizers distributing candles outside the park.
Some people had turned up at the park well before the scheduled vigil time for moments of quiet reflection. One woman, who gave her name as GC, said she would still commemorate the occasion.
“I came here for last three years,” she said. “I think nowadays [do] whatever action we can do [to mark the day] … at your home, in our hearts.”
GC told RTHK's Richard Pyne that it is important to remember what happened in Beijing 30 years ago and said it is a reflection of what is happening in Hong Kong now.
“Not just to care about the mainland, to care about people who [raised] their voice for freedom,” she said.-Photos: RTHK