On June 4, 1989, workers and students gathered in Tiananmen Square to demand greater freedom and democracy. While the violent repression on that day shocked the world, the spirit of that struggle has lived on, year after year, in demonstrations commemorating June 4th in Hong Kong. As the crackdown on democracy escalates in Hong Kong and demonstrations in commemoration of Tiananmen Square are outlawed, it is more urgent than ever that the world commemorate June 4th.
To remember the struggle for democracy on June 4th, we call on IUF affiliates to:
- Use this Zoom background for all video conferences on June 4th
- Use the IUF June 4th profile picture frame on Facebook: search “IUF June 4” under “Edit profile picture/Add frame”
As IUF Regional Secretary for Asia/Pacific Hidayat Greenfield writes, “Despite the bloody crackdown on June 4, 1989 and the arrest and imprisonment of thousands of labour activists over the years, this struggle for independent and democratic trade unions–for the ability for workers to combine together to defend their rights and interests–continues today. That is why the Beijing regime wants us to forget, and why we must remember. On June 4, 2021, join hundreds of thousands of trade union members across the world as we gather, protest, and remember in solidarity.”
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