Hong Kong: Large crowds turned out for a mass candlelight vigil in Hong Kong on Tuesday evening marking 30 years since China's bloody Tiananmen crackdown, a gathering tinged with symbolism as the city struggles to preserve its own cherished freedoms. The eye-catching spectacle -- in which thousands of Hong Kongers clutched candles, sang songs and listened to emotional speeches -- is the only place in China were such commemorations can be safely held. The semi-autonomous financial hub has hosted an annual vigil every year since tanks and soldiers smashed into protesters near Beijing's Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989 -- an illustration of the city's unusual freedoms and vibrant political scene. Organised by a group of veteran democracy activists, the vigil demands justice for victims and for China to embrace democracy.
But in more recent years the mass gatherings have taken on an increasingly contemporary significance as angst builds over Hong Kong's future. Organisers were hoping for a big turnout for Tuesday night's vigil, fuelled by both the milestone of the thirtieth anniversary itself and a renewed furore over defending the city from an increasingly assertive Beijing. This year's vigil comes at a time of huge controversy over plans by the city's pro-Beijing government to allow extraditions to the Chinese mainland for the first time.
