(Tiananmen) Squared

Today is the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. As I wrote about earlier, Chinese officials have been taking steps to ensure that no protests mark this date by shutting down dozens of websites and beefing up the security presence at the square. For a taste of what it's like on the ground, watch the surreal first minute or so of this attempted broadcast from nearby the square.  Plainclothes officers, while always a presence in the area, clearly are on high alert today. I had the opportunity to go to the square many times while I was in Beijing during the summer of 2008. It was hard to imagine the carnage it had seen decades earlier when all that was visible were Chinese tourists, food vendors, and floral arrangements for the Olympics. Even so, security was tight and plainclothes officers were apparent. So far, the day is going smoothly in Beijing.  Aside from tongue-in-cheek self-imposed “site maintenance” by some Chinese websites, there have been no protests to mar the imposed silence.  In Hong Kong, tens of thousands gathered in a peaceful vigil to remember the fallen. It is important for us around the world to remember this day, however, and appreciate the freedoms for which people have fought and continue to struggle.  The 20th century saw an estimated 262 million people killed by their own governments, not counting wars, a potent reminder of the danger that oppressive regimes represent to their own people, let alone the world. For more, read Nicholas Kristof’s eyewitness remembrances in the New York Times.