Tens of thousands of people turned out in Hong Kong for a vigil to mark the 25th anniversary of China’s bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square.  It took place in Hong Kong because that’s the only place in China where it is legal to observe the anniversary.

The former British territory retains a high level of autonomy and civil liberties not afforded to people on the Chinese Mainland.  The organizers of the vigil in Hong Kong said the crowd on Wednesday numbered over 180,000, the largest since 1989.  The vigil was solemn as thousands carried candles for the protesters killed, hurt, and imprisoned in the protests.

In Tiananmen Square itself, there was no vigil, no memorial, no mention of the events 25 years earlier.  There was, however, plenty of extra security.  The government blocked Internet search terms related to the 1989 massacre, and limited access to Google.  In the weeks prior to the anniversary, 66 people had been detained, questioned or had gone missing, according to Amnesty International.

In 1989, as many as a million protesters – students, professors, workers – had crowded inside Tiananmen Square in the capital Beijing, demanding an end to corruption within the Communist Party and calling for more freedom of expression.  The protests spread to other cities.  After almost seven weeks, the central government declared it to be a counter-revolutionary riot, and sent in the troops – Thousands were killed, many more were maimed and injured, some disappeared forever.