Beijing (AsiaNews / Agencies) - It published a post on the Tiananmen massacre and now it’s social media profile is blocked: This is the fate of the popular Chinese e-commerce site Xiaohongshu, after asking its 14 million contacts: "Tell me loudly: what's the date today?".
On June 4, 1989, thousands of Chinese students and citizens were massacred in Beijing for asking for freedom and democracy in China. For the country’s leadership, the topic is banned and any discussion that concerns it is suppressed. Today Xiaohongshu's Weibo profile reads: "Under investigation for violating laws and regulations".
The e-commerce platform has yet to comment on what happened. While its Weibo account is blocked, its web shopping app is still running: it is used by 300 million people. To boost its own sales, Xiaohongshu frequently asks questions on social networks.
The censorship of Xiaohongshu comes as no surprise to observers. As every year since 1989, the Chinese regime has forced a number of democratic activists and dissidents to leave Beijing and not speak to the press.
Using the justification of the fight against Covid-19, the Hong Kong authorities have banned the annual vigil in memory of the victims of the massacre for the second consecutive year.
Police from the former British colony arrested and then released on bail Chow Hang-tung, vice president of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China. The group organizes the commemoration at Victoria Park every year.
