By Clement Tan and Natasha Khan
June 4 (Bloomberg) — A candlelight vigil in Hong Kong to mark the 25th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown drew at least 100,000 people last night to honor the memories of the student-led pro-democracy protesters.
Visitors to the event at Victoria Park were greeted with loudspeakers broadcasting slogans and banners demanding an end to the rule of the Chinese Communist Party. A human-sized Goddess of Democracy statue stood in the park, where many sat. As night fell, hundreds lit candles and observed a moment of silence at 8:38 p.m. after organizers placed wreaths to commemorate those who lost their lives.
The anniversary has struck a chord with many in Hong Kong amid a city-wide debate about implementing universal suffrage to elect its leader by 2017. A record 180,000 people attended the vigil, Lee Cheuk-yan, chairman of organizer Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, told the crowd. Police estimated turnout at 99,500 people.
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