About 200 people gathered in rain-drenched Liberty Square in central Taipei on Thursday, June 4, to mark the 37th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, also known as the June Fourth Incident.

Around this day in 1989, Chinese People’s Liberation Army soldiers opened fire on thousands of pro-democracy protesters who had spent weeks demonstrating peacefully in Beijing. Hundreds, possibly thousands, of Chinese workers, students and others were killed, and the Chinese Communist authorities later arrested and imprisoned thousands across the country to crush the nascent democracy movement.

Hong Kong artist Kacey Wong (黃國才) told Rti in an interview at the event on Thursday that Taiwanese may not care about human rights in Hong Kong or China because such repression “happened to other countries.” But he suggested caring for other peoples’ freedom and democracy is actually defending one’s own.

“The worry is when you don't care about other peoples’ freedom or democracy, when the authoritarian government expands into your area and governs your area, then nobody would come and help you,” he said.

Hungarian tourist Ivan Kenyeres told Rti that he came to the vigil to remember the victims of the 1989 massacre and supported “Taiwan freedom.”

“I want the Chinese Communist Party to tell the people exactly what happened there and not hide the truth,” he said. “I also am here because I want to stand up for democratic values, which are, I think, under threat worldwide.”

“Taiwan is the last Chinese speaking area where people have the right to protest, have the right to remember,” Kenyeres said.

The annual event, which was organized this year by Taipei-based New School for Democracy and a coalition of human rights and civil society groups, included a rally and candlelight vigil. Turnout was lower than in recent years, with heavy thunderstorm rains drenching the vigil attendees.