Taipei: Around 500 people gathered in Taipei on Thursday evening for an annual candlelight vigil marking the 37th anniversary of the June 4th Incident, according to organizers. The incident refers to the Chinese authorities’ bloody crackdown on student-led, pro-democracy demonstrations in and around Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989. The exact death toll remains unknown, with estimates ranging from hundreds to possibly thousands.

According to Focus Taiwan, this year’s vigil, themed “Memory Beyond Borders, Resistance Without Boundaries,” was held outside Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei. Despite heavy rain, participants, many of them Hongkongers living in Taiwan, held electronic candles and observed 64 seconds of silence at 8:09 p.m. to mourn the victims of the crackdown. Organizers reported that approximately 500 people attended, which was fewer than the 3,000 who participated in 2025, attributing the lower turnout to the inclement weather.

Among the attendees was Daniel Wang, a fifth-year student at National Taiwan University. He expressed that although some Taiwanese might view the crackdown as “China’s issue,” it still remains a significant human rights violation that should be remembered by everyone. Wang highlighted Taiwan’s experience with transitional justice as a potential reference for China if it democratizes in the future.

Another participant, identified only by the pseudonym Flower, is a Hongkonger who moved to Taiwan six years ago. She expressed gratitude for the opportunity to attend the vigil in Taiwan, as similar events are no longer permitted in Hong Kong following the imposition of the national security law on June 30, 2020.

The event, organized by the New School for Democracy and other human rights groups, included speeches by human rights advocates from Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, and other countries. Feng Congde, a former student leader from the 1989 protests, recounted the events of June 4, 1989, describing the decision to withdraw from Tiananmen Square as a “heavy historical burden.”

In addition to the vigil at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, some Taiwan-based Hongkongers held a separate event at 228 Peace Memorial Park in Taipei, attended by around 60 people.