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When I took this photo in Tiananmen Square, Beijing in 2005 I had no idea that it was a day or so before the anniversary of the June Fourth Incident, otherwise known as the Tiananmen Square massacre. So it was confusing that as the late afternoon sun shone down, tourists milled about and locals flew kites, dozens of police and troops arrived and emptied the square in minutes flat. I don’t know if they’ve been doing this every year since the protests in 1989, or if they’re doing the same this year, but I expect so. The weirdest thing about the whole experience was being shepherded off the square over one of the wide avenues surrounding it, and realising why – standing in the middle of an empty four or five-lane road, I suddenly remembered the tank man.

More info (Amnesty)


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