Three days after opening on Sunday (May 30), the June 4 Memorial Museum in Hong Kong was shut down after local authorities investigated whether the museum had licenses to conduct public exhibitions.

Tiananmen Square museum closes after Hong Kong authorities investigate

The museum, meant to commemorate the Tiananmen Square crackdown on protests in China on Jun. 4, 1989, had received more than 550 visitors during the three days of operations, according to LA Times.

The Hong Kong Alliance of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China said that the move to close down was to protect their staff and visitors while the group sought legal advice.

The June 4 Memorial Museum is one of the efforts by pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong to create discourse about the Tiananmen Square Incident in 1989 that were quashed by local authorities.

Candlelight vigil to commemorate Tiananmen Square Incident banned by authorities

Another decades-long tradition for Hong Kong residents to hold an annual candlelight vigil on Jun. 4 has been banned by local authorities as well.

Hong Kong was one of the last places in China where the Tiananmen Square incident in 1989 was commemorated with candlelight vigils and other events organised by activists, until last year, when local authorities banned the vigil amid fears over the Covid-19 pandemic, reported FT.

The vigil, held since 1990, is an event largely symbolic of Hong Kong's freedom, showcasing the city's spirit of independence to the world.

The annual event was highly important to pro-democracy activists, with thousands in Hong Kong attending to light candles and sing songs on Jun. 4 every year.

The ban did not stop thousands from gathering to light candles at Victoria Park in Hong Kong on Jun. 4, 2020.

However, more than 20 activists who participated in the vigil that year were arrested.

According to SCMP, more than 3,000 anti-riot officers have been placed on standby by the police to stop potential illegal gatherings on Jun. 4 this year.

National Security Law in Hong Kong likely to discourage Hong Kongers from participating

Similarly, the vigil has been banned for a second year by Hong Kong authorities, and organisers have encouraged residents to mark the memorial by lighting a candle wherever they are.

On top of the ban, the National Security Law imposed in Hong Kong on Jun. 30, 2020 is likely to discourage many Hong Kong residents from participating in such public demonstrations, due to the harsh penalties the law carries for subversion and other crimes against the state, according to FT.

One prominent activist, 65-year-old Alexandra Wong, or known locally as "Grandma Wong", was arrested by Hong Kong police for staging a public demonstration alone over the Tiananmen Square crackdown on May 30 (Sunday), reported The Guardian.

Wong was a prominent character of the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong in 2019, often seen waving a Union Jack flag.

According to The Guardian, she was seen holding a sign that read "32, June 4, Tiananmen's lament", and a yellow umbrella, a symbol of Hong Kong's democracy movement.

She was later arrested by the police for "knowingly participating in an unauthorised assembly and attempting to incite others to join an unauthorised assembly".

It is widely believed that the security law in Hong Kong will make it highly unlikely to organise such public memorials and demonstrations in future, even after the Covid-19 pandemic is over.

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