Remembering Tiananmen: A Witness Recounts the 1989 Crackdown

As early June arrives in China, the country appears outwardly calm, yet for many around the world, the events of the early summer of 1989 in Beijing remain a potent memory. It was then that demonstrations by students, intellectuals, and workers demanding greater political and social freedom were brutally suppressed by the Chinese authorities on June 4th in Tiananmen Square.

Delo journalist Zorana Baković, who witnessed the events firsthand, vividly recalls what the Chinese government actively conceals from its public. "I don't just remember that day, but the entire month and a half of the civil movement," she stated. Baković noted that China was undergoing modernization in industry, agriculture, the military, and science and technology, but its political system lagged behind.

Baković emphasized the peaceful nature of the protests, stating, "Chinese gun laws are very strict, so there was no sign anywhere that the demonstrations could turn into violent resistance." Many believed China was moving towards a social democracy. However, Deng Xiaoping, who had opened China to the world after Mao Zedong's death, feared political change. He reportedly ordered the military intervention, aiming to prevent independent unions and ensure stability, allegedly stating, "The country is prepared to sacrifice two hundred thousand people for an additional twenty years of stability."

The students' demands were specific: freedom of the press, democratization, and the fight against corruption, not the overthrow of the party. The military's intervention began late on June 3rd. Baković described the scene: "The army moved towards the square. They were in a hurry, but first, they had to pass thousands of demonstrators. I never imagined I would see so many fearless people in front of those huge tanks." Despite the protesters' resistance, the army was ordered to secure the square by 6 a.m.

Tiananmen Square was targeted as the "physical, geographic, and symbolic center of Chinese power." The government defended the Communist Party's stance, even though the students' core demands were for reform, not revolution. The iconic image of a lone man standing before a column of tanks remains a powerful symbol of the event.