It was closed due to political pressure

The world’s first museum dedicated to China’s Tiananmen Square crackdown will once again open its doors in Hong Kong, after remaining closed for over 9 months, as the city prepares to mark the 20th anniversary of its handover to Beijing.

The June 4th Museum shut its doors last July after organisers said they were being targeted for political reasons in the semi-autonomous city where concerns are growing that Beijing is tightening its grip. Tenants in the building, which housed the museum from 2014, said the museum breached regulations that said the premises could only be used for offices.

The museum, now housed at a new temporary venue, will open to the public at a time when Hong Kong is revving up the fanfare for the 20th anniversary of its handover to China by Britain.

“It’s very important that this museum will be here to tell him (Xi) in his face that people in Hong Kong have not forgotten what had happened 28 years ago when the Communist Party decided to open fire and send in tanks against the people’s aspiration for freedom,” said the organiser Lee Cheuk-yan said.

The cramped 100 square-metre space will be displaying newspaper clippings, photographs and videos of tanks rolling down the streets of Beijing during the crackdown.