A Symbol Of Freedom
by Audrey Damaske, Julia Simpson, Faith Robinson
What Happened At Tiananmen Square?
It's April 18, 1989, and thousands of students march through the Capitol streets and into Tiananmen Square, which means "Gates of Heavenly Peace", protesting for a democratic government. During weeks afterwards, many more people join the protesters in their cry for a democracy. China officials speak to the growing crowd several times, trying to persuade the people to stop, but to no avail. On June 4, 1989, at about 1 A.M., Chinese troops murder the people, shooting them down and running them over with tanks, and although the exact death count was never recorded, thousands of people lay dead on the streets.
Tank Man
The day after the Tiananmen Massacre, a line of tanks pass through the streets. One man, holding his grocery bags, stood bravely in front of the tanks, halting them. After unsuccessfuly trying to maneuver around the unknown man, the tank stop. The only existing footage shows that the mysterious "Tank Man" talked to the men in the tanks, and even climbed on the lead tank to speak to the man there. After speaking to them for a few moments, he was dragged away from the square. The identity and the whereabouts of the man are still unknown, but due to his bravery and courage, he has become a symbol of freedom and hope.
Tank Man (now with more raw footage)
Censorship
After twenty five years, the people of China are finally learning what happened those many years ago. Due to swift actions of the government, anything related to the events in Tiananmen Square were erased. The reporters were sent away, and no one was allowed to take footage or pictures of what was happening. CBS News states that if a person in China tied to research anything related to those days, they would find nothing. Recently, people are finally realizing what happened. One student states, "Everyone in China, we have the right to know the truth."