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China’s “People’s Liberation Army” is a jumbo-shrimp level oxymoron. It isn’t about liberating shit. It’s a tool of oppression, and the ruling class has no issue using it to murder thousands of its own citizens in order to maintain the status quo. Case in point: Tiananmen Square.
--On This Day in History, Shit Went Down: June 4, 1989--
In China they officially call it the “June Fourth Incident” because the state-controlled media doesn’t like referring to that 1989 incident as the Tiananmen Square Massacre. It might give people the right idea. Students have often been at the forefront of pro-democracy protests, which is why repressive regimes love to cut funding to education because they need lots of stupid people to say fuck yeah this totalitarian regime is awesome. See: Trump voters.
The protests began in April after the death of Hu Yaobang, who had been a pro-reform General Secretary of the Communist Party of China. The protestors were both mourning Yaobang and calling for democratic reforms. By mid-May, tens of thousands were protesting in the square. They wanted economic reform as well, because joblessness and poverty were rampant. Some politicians were sympathetic, but most saw the protestors as a threat and martial law was declared in mid-May, with the government sending a quarter million troops into Beijing. This did not deter the Tiananmen protesters; their ranks swelled to a million by month’s end.
Early in the morning of June 4, the government said yeah fuck it just kill them, and sent in the military to go on a shooting spree. Thousands fled the slaughter, but some stood bravely in the face of overwhelming firepower, throwing stones at soldiers and setting military vehicles on fire. The government low-balled the shit out of the death toll, saying it was only 241. It was more than ten times that. Another 10,000 were arrested.
The following day, as tanks entered the square, a lone man carrying shopping bags walked resolutely out in front of them to block their path. The lead tank stopped, then tried to go around him. Tank Man then leapt to the side to block its path once again. As a crowd in the distance cheered and CNN filmed, he climbed aboard the tank, and appeared to talk to the crew inside. Maybe something like hey guys you’re tools of an oppressive regime don’t fucking do this.
After several seconds atop the tank, you can hear machine-gun fire in the distance. As Tank Man climbs down, the hatch on the lead tank opens and a soldier’s head pops out. Back on the ground, Tank Man and the soldier appear to speak to one another for a few seconds, then the hatch closes again. The tanks started moving again and once again Tank Man leaps in front to block their path. Two unknown people wearing blue then pull Tank Man away and the tanks continued into Tiananmen Square. Despite numerous conflicting rumors, his true identity and fate remain unknown.
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