Hong Kong University students hold a small act of rebellion against the Chinese government crackdown, hiding tiny figures of a "democracy goddess" on campus to mark the 33rd anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre.

Tomorrow marks the 33 year anniversary of the brutal Tiananmen Square Massacre of 1989.

Even though no official figure for the deaths from this massacre was released, as per estimates by human rights groups and witnesses it ranges from several hundred to several thousand.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/tiananmen-square-massacre-what-really-happened-in-1989-389384">Tiananmen Square Massacre: What really happened in 1989?</a>

In mainland China, the mere mention of this government brutality is all but banned. Hong Kong for years remained the one city that not only fearlessly spoke about it, but also held annual candlelight vigils in commemoration of the lives lost.

However, since 2019, even this semi-autonomous area has witnessed a crackdown at the hands of the authorities. This year too the city's police have released a statement warning people against holding the annual Victoria Park vigil, saying that visiting the site will be considered a breaking of the law.

Watch |&nbsp;Hong Kong Police warn against Tiananmen massacre's 33rd anniversary gathering

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Faced with this crackdown, the youth, the future of the country, have responded by rebelling themselves. As per a report by BBC in the lead-up to the massacres' anniversary the students of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) have been hiding tiny figurines of a democracy goddess around campus.&nbsp;

The figurines are copies of the "Goddess of Democracy" statue, which enjoyed a prominent place on the campus for eleven years before being pulled down by University officials last year. The statue was also a copy; it was modelled after the original democracy symbol paraded by students in the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/hong-kong-police-issues-warning-over-tiananmen-square-anniversary-gatherings-484709" hreflang="en">Hong Kong police issues warning over Tiananmen Square anniversary gatherings</a>

The tiny figurines are 3D replicas printed by the protestors. Speaking to Hong Kong Free Press, one protest organiser said that the rebellion is for the statue that the university 'stole' from its students.

The concealed statues around the campus have with them notes urging the finder to 'Bring her home, and do not forget the meaning behind it!!" reports BBC.

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Hong Kong University students hold a small act of rebellion against the Chinese government crackdown, hiding tiny figures of a "democracy goddess" on campus to mark the 33rd anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre.

Hong Kong University students hold a small act of rebellion against the Chinese government crackdown, hiding tiny figures of a "democracy goddess" on campus to mark the 33rd anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. Tomorrow marks the 33 year anniversary of the brutal Tiananmen Square Massacre of 1989. Even though no official figure for the deaths from this massacre was released, as per estimates by human rights groups and witnesses it ranges from several hundred to several thousand. Also read | Tiananmen Square Massacre: What really happened in 1989? In mainland China, the mere mention of this government brutality is all but banned. Hong Kong for years remained the one city that not only fearlessly spoke about it, but also held annual candlelight vigils in commemoration of the lives lost. However, since 2019, even this semi-autonomous area has witnessed a crackdown at the hands of the authorities. This year too the city's police have released a statement warning people against holding the annual Victoria Park vigil, saying that visiting the site will be considered a breaking of the law. Watch | Hong Kong Police warn against Tiananmen massacre's 33rd anniversary gathering Faced with this crackdown, the youth, the future of the country, have responded by rebelling themselves. As per a report by BBC in the lead-up to the massacres' anniversary the students of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) have been hiding tiny figurines of a democracy goddess around campus. The figurines are copies of the "Goddess of Democracy" statue, which enjoyed a prominent place on the campus for eleven years before being pulled down by University officials last year. The statue was also a copy; it was modelled after the original democracy symbol paraded by students in the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. Also read | Hong Kong police issues warning over Tiananmen Square anniversary gatherings The tiny figurines are 3D replicas printed by the protestors. Speaking to Hong Kong Free Press, one protest organiser said that the rebellion is for the statue that the university 'stole' from its students. The concealed statues around the campus have with them notes urging the finder to 'Bring her home, and do not forget the meaning behind it!!" reports BBC. Watch WION LIVE HERE: You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Tiananmen Square massacre: University students rebel, hide 'goddess of democracy' statues around campus

The United States said Monday it had lost hope for human rights progress in China 30 years after the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/chinese-state-run-daily-defended-the-governments-handling-of-the-tiananmen-protests-on-monday-223803">crackdown on Tiananmen Square</a> as Beijing, in rare official comments on the bloodshed, insisted it had "immunized" itself against turmoil.

As <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/twitter-apologises-for-blocked-china-accounts-ahead-of-tiananmen-anniversary-223682">China tried to impose a media blackout</a> ahead of Tuesday's anniversary of the 1989 assault on pro-democracy protesters, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saluted the "heroic protest movement," which he said still stirred "the conscience of freedom-loving people around the world."

"Over the decades that followed, the United States hoped that China's integration into the international system would lead to a more open, tolerant society. Those hopes have been dashed," Pompeo said.

"Today, Chinese citizens have been subjected to a new wave of abuses, especially in Xinjiang, where the Communist Party leadership is methodically attempting to strangle Uighur culture and stamp out the Islamic faith," he said.

An estimated <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-using-ai-to-identify-uighurs-across-the-country-reports-210712">one million Uighurs have been placed in detention in Xinjiang</a>, massive incarceration that China describes as vocational training to reduce radicalism.

On June 4, 1989, Beijing's communist rulers sent tanks and troops into Tiananmen Square, the symbolic heart of Chinese power, to crush a student-led movement that had been growing for seven weeks and featured a Goddess of Democracy statue that resembled the Statue of Liberty.

Hundreds of unarmed civilians, and <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/on-tiananmen-anniversary-us-tells-china-to-make-full-public-account-of-those-killed-detained-or-missing-142033">possibly more than 1,000 were killed</a>.

"We urge the Chinese government to make a full, public accounting of those killed or missing to give comfort to the many victims of this dark chapter of history," Pompeo said, calling on China to "release all those held for seeking to exercise" fundamental rights and freedoms.

Watch: 30 Years Of Pro-Democracy Protests In China

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'A political success'

With younger Chinese having no direct memories of the Tiananmen movement, Beijing has gone to exhaustive lengths to prevent commemorations, with authorities detaining activists and live streaming services conspicuously down for "technical" reasons.

But in an unusual step, China acknowledged -- and justified -- the Tiananmen crackdown in remarks geared at foreign audiences.

The English edition of the state-run Global Times tabloid called the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/at-least-10000-killed-in-1989-tiananmen-crackdown-british-cable-27564">handling of Tiananmen and its aftermath</a> "a political success."

"As a vaccination for... Chinese society, the Tiananmen incident will greatly increase China's immunity against any major political turmoil in the future," it said in an editorial published Monday.

And Defence Minister Wei Fenghe, speaking Sunday at a regional forum in Singapore, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/chinese-defence-minister-says-tiananmen-crackdown-was-justified-223616">defended the crackdown</a> when he responded to an audience question.

"That incident was political turbulence and the central government took measures to stop the turbulence which is a correct policy," he said.

China's economy has soared since Tiananmen to become the second largest in the world, with the United States under President Bill Clinton welcoming Beijing into the global trading order and hoping that rising prosperity would bring improvements in human rights.

In pics: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/tiananmens-key-moments-hope-crushed-by-soldiers-and-tanks-223563">Hope crushed by soldiers and tanks-Tiananmen's key moments&nbsp;</a>

President Donald Trump has voiced regret over China's trajectory on economic grounds as well. He has slapped tariffs on billions of dollars worth of Chinese goods and accused Beijing of rampant theft of US technology, setting off an accelerating trade battle.

The Trump administration has raised human rights repeatedly with China, although it treads much more lightly when addressing rights issues in US-allied countries.

Robert Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said that the United States needed to look inward and be more consistent on human rights as it tackled China's record.

"Unlike 30 years ago, when America stood with the brave Chinese people in the face of repression, we hear deafening silence from the White House at best and voices fanning the flames at worst," Menendez told a Tiananmen commemoration event at the National Endowment for Democracy.

The United States said Monday it had lost hope for human rights progress in China 30 years after the crackdown on Tiananmen Square as Beijing, in rare official comments on the bloodshed, insisted it had "immunized" itself against turmoil.

The United States said Monday it had lost hope for human rights progress in China 30 years after the crackdown on Tiananmen Square as Beijing, in rare official comments on the bloodshed, insisted it had "immunized" itself against turmoil. As China tried to impose a media blackout ahead of Tuesday's anniversary of the 1989 assault on pro-democracy protesters, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saluted the "heroic protest movement," which he said still stirred "the conscience of freedom-loving people around the world." "Over the decades that followed, the United States hoped that China's integration into the international system would lead to a more open, tolerant society. Those hopes have been dashed," Pompeo said. "Today, Chinese citizens have been subjected to a new wave of abuses, especially in Xinjiang, where the Communist Party leadership is methodically attempting to strangle Uighur culture and stamp out the Islamic faith," he said. An estimated one million Uighurs have been placed in detention in Xinjiang, massive incarceration that China describes as vocational training to reduce radicalism. On June 4, 1989, Beijing's communist rulers sent tanks and troops into Tiananmen Square, the symbolic heart of Chinese power, to crush a student-led movement that had been growing for seven weeks and featured a Goddess of Democracy statue that resembled the Statue of Liberty. Hundreds of unarmed civilians, and possibly more than 1,000 were killed. "We urge the Chinese government to make a full, public accounting of those killed or missing to give comfort to the many victims of this dark chapter of history," Pompeo said, calling on China to "release all those held for seeking to exercise" fundamental rights and freedoms. Watch: 30 Years Of Pro-Democracy Protests In China × 'A political success' With younger Chinese having no direct memories of the Tiananmen movement, Beijing has gone to exhaustive lengths to prevent commemorations, with authorities detaining activists and live streaming services conspicuously down for "technical" reasons. But in an unusual step, China acknowledged -- and justified -- the Tiananmen crackdown in remarks geared at foreign audiences. The English edition of the state-run Global Times tabloid called the handling of Tiananmen and its aftermath "a political success." "As a vaccination for... Chinese society, the Tiananmen incident will greatly increase China's immunity against any major political turmoil in the future," it said in an editorial published Monday. And Defence Minister Wei Fenghe, speaking Sunday at a regional forum in Singapore, defended the crackdown when he responded to an audience question. "That incident was political turbulence and the central government took measures to stop the turbulence which is a correct policy," he said. China's economy has soared since Tiananmen to become the second largest in the world, with the United States under President Bill Clinton welcoming Beijing into the global trading order and hoping that rising prosperity would bring improvements in human rights. In pics: Hope crushed by soldiers and tanks-Tiananmen's key moments President Donald Trump has voiced regret over China's trajectory on economic grounds as well. He has slapped tariffs on billions of dollars worth of Chinese goods and accused Beijing of rampant theft of US technology, setting off an accelerating trade battle. The Trump administration has raised human rights repeatedly with China, although it treads much more lightly when addressing rights issues in US-allied countries. Robert Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said that the United States needed to look inward and be more consistent on human rights as it tackled China's record. "Unlike 30 years ago, when America stood with the brave Chinese people in the face of repression, we hear deafening silence from the White House at best and voices fanning the flames at worst," Menendez told a Tiananmen commemoration event at the National Endowment for Democracy.

Post-Tiananmen, Chinese citizens subjected to new wave of abuses: US

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Tiananmen Square massacre: University students rebel, hide 'goddess of democracy' statues around campus

Post-Tiananmen, Chinese citizens subjected to new wave of abuses: US