作者：吕小静
抗议中共六四大屠杀的巨大横幅及大合照
【旧金山讯】1989年春夏之交，中国爆发席卷全国的民主运动。数百万学生、市民与知识分子走上街头，呼吁反腐败、新闻自由与政治改革。然而1989年6月4日凌晨，中共当局出动军队与坦克，对北京天安门广场及周边地区展开血腥镇压，造成大量平民伤亡。三十七年过去，“六四”在中国大陆依旧被封锁，但在海外，仍有人坚持纪念历史、守护真相。
民众驻足观看六四历史图片展
2026年5月24日，六四三十七周年前夕，旧金山中国城花园角广场（Portsmouth Square）举行“民主女神像清洗活动暨六四历史图片展”。多位八九民运人士、海外民主活动人士、青年团体成员及社区民众到场参与。活动现场，许多人认真擦洗民主女神像，也有不少民众驻足观看六四历史图片展，在一张张历史照片前沉默阅读、低声交流。
广场上，民主女神像在阳光下格外醒目。现场同时展出大量六四历史图片
与文字资料，从学生绝食、市民游行，到坦克进入长安街的画面，令不少路过民众停下脚步久久凝视。
方政：希望民主女神像终有一天回到中国
中国民主党旧金山党部主席方政，前排中间
八九学运领袖方政在现场发言。1989年六四镇压期间，方政在撤离天安门途中遭坦克碾压失去双腿，成为六四惨案的重要亲历者之一。三十多年来，他始终坚持推动六四纪念与中国民主运动。
方政首先特别感谢此次“清洗民主女神像”活动的长期发起人、前“人道中国”主席葛洵。他表示，自2010年以来，葛洵每年都会提前准备清洗用品与活动物资，让这一纪念活动能够持续至今。
方政表示，旧金山民主女神像不仅是一座雕像，更是一代海外华人共同守护的历史记忆。
“每年六四前，我们来到这里清洗民主女神像，不只是擦去灰尘，更是在提醒大家，不能忘记六四，不能忘记那些为自由付出生命的人。”
他说，这座建立于1994年六四五周年期间的民主女神像，是美国西海岸极具象征意义的民主地标，也承载着无数中国人对自由与民主的希望。
方政表示，希望民主女神像所代表的自由精神，能够继续在海外华人心中传承下去。
“我们最终还是希望，有一天民主女神像能够回到中国，让中国人民能够公开纪念六四，真正拥有民主与自由。”
现场响起长时间掌声。
葛洵：让六四记忆继续被看见
清洗民主女神像活动主要发起人葛洵（左一）
活动发起人葛洵表示，自己1989年时已在美国留学，当年积极参与声援中国学生民主运动，之后长期投入海外六四纪念活动。
他回忆，2010年前后，有人提出在六四前清洗民主女神像，此后大家决定将活动持续下来。十多年来，无论天气如何变化，这项活动始终没有中断。
葛洵表示，希望通过持续纪念，让更多人知道六四历史，也让仍在中国坚持争取自由与人权的人看到希望。
周锋锁：六四是一场永久无法被抹去的历史记忆
中国人权执行主任周锋锁
中国民主运动海外联席会议主席周锋锁则从历史、现实与未来三个层面，回顾了1989年民主运动的意义。
周锋锁是1989年北京学生运动的重要领袖之一，也是天安门广场绝食团成员。六四后，他遭中共通缉，后流亡海外，长期推动中国民主与人权运动。
“六四是一场永久的纪念”
周锋锁表示，六四并不仅仅是一场学生运动，而是一场整个中国社会对于民主与自由的觉醒。
“1989年，北京有上百万人走上街头，全国三百多个城市都有人声援。这是中国人民第一次如此大规模、和平地争取民主自由。”
他说，中共最终却以坦克、机枪与屠杀回应人民的呼声。
“那些人是手无寸铁的普通人。死难者里，有九岁的孩子，也有八十岁的老人。直到今天，外界仍无法知道，那场屠杀究竟死了多少人。”
周锋锁表示，正因为历史被封锁，人们才更需要继续纪念六四。
“六四已经不只是中国的历史，它已经成为全世界反抗专制、追求自由的重要象征。”
“柏林墙倒塌，也受到六四精神影响”
周锋锁回忆，曾有参与推倒柏林墙的人亲口告诉他，1989年北京学生争取民主自由、不怕牺牲的精神，给了东欧人民巨大的鼓舞。
“他们告诉我，北京学生站出来反抗专制，让很多东欧人第一次真正意识到：人民也可以站出来争取自由。”
他说，自由与民主并不是某一个国家独有的价值，而是全世界共同追求的理想。
“无论在中国、东欧，还是世界任何地方，只要有人争取自由，这种精神就会彼此影响、彼此点燃。”
“从被嘲笑到越来越壮大”
周锋锁还回忆，早年海外纪念六四时，参与人数非常少，甚至经常遭到冷嘲热讽。
“二十多年前，我们刚开始在旧金山公开纪念六四时，很多人觉得没有意义，还有人嘲笑我们，说不会再有人记得六四。”
但他表示，即使最困难的时候，仍然有人坚持站出来。
如今，越来越多年轻人开始主动了解六四历史，民运队伍也在不断扩大。
“中共一直希望人们遗忘六四，但实际上，每一年都有新的年轻人开始认识真相。只要还有人愿意了解历史，中国就一定还有希望。”
华语青年挺藏会会长段荆棘到场声援
华语青年挺藏会会长段荆棘（右一）、年轻艺术爱好者Ruty手绘坦克图像（中）、中国民主党组织部部长周云龙（中）
华语青年挺藏会会长段荆棘（右一）、年轻艺术爱好者Ruty手绘坦克图像（中）、中国民主党组织部部长周云龙（中）
活动当天，华语青年挺藏会会长段荆棘也到场参与，并分享长期推动汉藏交流与人权倡议的理念。
她表示，中共长期利用恐惧与分化制造不同群体之间的隔阂，而真正的敌人并不是彼此，而是制造压迫与恐惧的极权制度。
段荆棘展示了一面仿制旗帜。她表示，原型来自1989年一位藏族学生在天安门民主运动期间所持旗帜，希望借此提醒世人：1989年的民主抗争，并不仅仅发生在北京。
她说，希望自己能够成为汉人与藏人之间的桥梁，让更多华人了解西藏历史与现实处境。
“如果说真话的人越来越少，人们就会完全活在谎言里，这是非常可怕的事情。”
为良心犯徐光募捐：让坚持自由的人感受到温暖
活动现场还举行了“一人一美金”募捐活动，专门为中国国内因争取民主自由而遭受迫害的良心犯及家属筹集援助资金。
此次募捐重点声援刚刚出狱的民主人士徐光。
徐光是1989年杭州学生运动的重要参与者，也是中国民主党早期成员之一。多年来，他持续公开纪念六四并推动民主理念，因此多次遭到中共打压。2022年，徐光再次因纪念六四及发表言论被捕，后被判刑四年。
在狱中，徐光长期绝食抗议，以表达对政治迫害的不满。近期出狱后，他公开表示：
“为了纪念六四，无怨无悔。”
这句话也令现场许多人深受触动。
方政在现场表示，当天活动所售出的文化衫收入，将全部捐赠给徐光，希望让所有为中国争取自由的人士感受到海外华人的温暖与关心。
“我们不能只享受自由，却忘记那些仍在黑暗中坚持的人。”
组织者表示，本次募款将通过“在野党”账户转交至徐光本人手中，希望能够为其提供实际帮助，也让更多良心犯感受到外界仍在关注他们。
活动最后，现场民众共同高喊“勿忘六四”“自由中国”“结束专制”等口号。
编辑：张娜
校对：冯仍
翻译：戈冰
San Francisco’s Garden Corner Plaza held a statue of democracy cleaning event to commemorate the 37th anniversary of June 4th
Author: Lü Xiaojing
Huge banner and photo protesting the June 4th Massacre by the Chinese Communist Party
【San Francisco News】 At the turn of spring and summer in 1989, a democratic movement swept across China. Millions of students, citizens and intellectuals took to the streets to call for anti-corruption, press freedom and political reform. However, in the early morning of June 4, 1989, the Chinese Communist Party authorities dispatched troops and tanks to launch a bloody crackdown on Tiananmen Square and surrounding areas in Beijing, causing heavy civilian casualties. Thirty-seven years have passed, and “June 4th” is still blocked in mainland China, but overseas, some people still insist on commemorating history and protecting the truth.
In the square, the Statue of Democracy stands out in the sunlight. A large number of June 4th historical pictures were exhibited at the scene
With written materials, from the students’ hunger strike, the citizens’ march, to the scene of tanks entering Chang’an Avenue, many passers-by stopped and stared for a long time.
Fang Zheng: I hope the Statue of Democracy will return to China one day
Fang Zheng, Chairman of the San Francisco branch of the China Democratic Party, front row, center
Fang Zheng, leader of the 1989 student movement, spoke on the spot. During the June 4th crackdown in 1989, Fang Zheng lost both legs when he was run over by a tank while evacuating Tiananmen Square, becoming one of the important eyewitnesses of the June 4th Massacre. For more than three decades, he has consistently promoted the June 4th commemoration and the Chinese democracy movement.
Fang Zheng first of all particularly thanked Ge Xun, the long-term initiator of this “cleansing of the Statue of Democracy” event and former chairman of “Humanitarian China”. He said that since 2010, Ge Xun has prepared cleaning supplies and event supplies in advance every year, so that this commemorative activity can continue to this day.
Fang Zheng said that the Statue of Democracy in San Francisco is not only a statue, but also a historical memory that is jointly protected by a generation of overseas Chinese.
“Every year before June 4th, we come here to clean the Statue of Democracy. It not only wipes away the dust, but also reminds everyone not to forget June 4th and those who gave their lives for freedom. ”
He said that the Statue of Democracy, which was built during the June 4th and 5th anniversaries in 1994, is a highly symbolic democratic landmark on the west coast of the United States and also carries the hopes of countless Chinese people for freedom and democracy.
Fang Zheng expressed the hope that the spirit of freedom represented by the Statue of Democracy can continue to be passed on in the hearts of overseas Chinese.
“Ultimately, we hope that one day the Statue of Democracy will return to China, allowing the Chinese people to publicly commemorate June 4th and truly possess democracy and freedom. ”
There was long applause from the audience.
Ge Xun: Let the memory of June 4th continue to be seen.
Ge Xun (first from left), the main initiator of the campaign to cleanse the Statue of Democracy
The initiator of the event, Ge Xun, said that he had studied in the United States in 1989 and actively participated in the movement to support Chinese student democracy that year. After that, he devoted a long time to overseas June 4th commemoration activities.
He recalled that around 2010, someone proposed to clean the Statue of Democracy before June 4th, and everyone decided to continue the activity. For more than a decade, this activity has remained uninterrupted, regardless of weather changes.
Ge Xun expressed the hope that through continued commemoration, more people will know the history of June 4th, and that those who are still fighting for freedom and human rights in China will see hope.
Zhou Fengsuo: June 4th is a historical memory that cannot be erased foreverZhou Fengsuo, Executive Director of Human Rights of China
Zhou Fengsuo, Chairman of the Overseas Joint Conference of the Chinese Democratic Movement, reviewed the significance of the 1989 democratic movement from the perspectives of history, reality and the future.
Zhou Fengsuo was one of the important leaders of the 1989 Beijing student movement and a member of the Tiananmen Square hunger strike. After June 4, he was wanted by the Chinese Communist Party and later went into exile overseas, where he has long promoted China’s democracy and human rights movement.
“June 4th is a permanent commemoration ”
Zhou Fengsuo said that June 4th was not just a student movement, but an awakening of democracy and freedom in the entire Chinese society.
“In 1989, millions of people took to the streets in Beijing, and people in more than 300 cities across the country showed their support. This is the first time that the Chinese people have fought for democracy and freedom on such a large scale and peacefully.”
He said the CCP ultimately responded to the people’s calls with tanks, machine guns and massacres.
“Those people are ordinary, unarmed people. Among the dead were nine-year-olds and eighty-year-olds. To this day, the outside world still cannot know how many people died in that massacre.”
Zhou Fengsuo said that it is precisely because history is blocked that people need to continue commemorating June 4th.
“June 4th is no longer just China’s history; it has become an important symbol of the world’s resistance to authoritarianism and pursuit of freedom. ”
“The fall of the Berlin Wall was also influenced by the June 4th spirit”
Zhou Fengsuo recalled that someone who participated in the demolition of the Berlin Wall told him in person that the spirit of Beijing students fighting for democracy and freedom and not being afraid of sacrifice in 1989 gave great encouragement to the people of Eastern Europe.
“They told me that the fact that Beijing students stood up to authoritarianism made many Eastern Europeans truly realize for the first time that people can stand up for freedom, too. ”
He said that freedom and democracy are not values unique to any one country, but ideals pursued by the whole world.
“Whether in China, Eastern Europe, or anywhere else in the world, as long as there are people fighting for freedom, this spirit will influence and ignite each other. ”
“From being ridiculed to growing stronger”
Zhou Fengsuo also recalled that when commemorating June 4th overseas in the early years, the number of participants was very small and he was often even ridiculed.
“When we first began publicly commemorating June 4th in San Francisco over 20 years ago, many people felt it was meaningless, and some laughed at us, saying no one would remember it anymore. ”
But he said even in the most difficult times, some people still insist on coming forward.
Today, more and more young people are beginning to take the initiative to understand the history of June 4th, and the democratic movement team is also expanding.
“The CCP has always hoped that people would forget June 4th, but in fact, every year new young people begin to understand the truth. As long as there are people willing to understand history, there will definitely be hope for China.”
Duan Jingji, president of the Chinese Youth Support Association for Tibet, attended the event to show his support
Duan Jingji (first from right), president of the Chinese Youth Support for Tibet Association; Ruty, a young art enthusiast, hand-paints a tank image (center); and Zhou Yunlong, head of the Organization Department of the China Democratic Party (center)
On the day of the event, Duan Jingji, president of the Chinese Youth Support for Tibet Association, also attended the event and shared his ideas on promoting long-term Sino-Tibetan exchanges and human rights initiatives.
She said that the CCP has long used fear and differentiation to create barriers between different groups, and the real enemies are not each other, but a totalitarian system that creates oppression and fear.
Duan Thorns displayed a replica flag. She said that the prototype came from the flag held by a Tibetan student during the Tiananmen democracy movement in 1989, hoping to remind the world that the 1989 democratic struggle did not just happen in Beijing.
She said she hopes to become a bridge between Han Chinese and Tibetans, allowing more Chinese people to understand Tibet’s history and current situation.
“If fewer and fewer people tell the truth, people will completely live a lie, which is very scary. ”
Fundraising for prisoner of conscience Xu Guang: Let those who insist on freedom feel the warmth
A “one person, one US dollar” fundraising event was also held at the event to raise funds for assistance to prisoners of conscience and their families who are persecuted for their struggle for democratic freedoms in China.
The fundraising focused on supporting Xu Guang, a democrat who had just been released from prison.
Xu Guang was an important participant in the 1989 Hangzhou student movement and an early member of the China Democratic Party. Over the years, he continued to publicly commemorate June 4th and promote democratic ideas, and was therefore suppressed by the Chinese Communist Party many times. In 2022, Xu Guang was arrested again for commemorating June 4th and making remarks, and was later sentenced to four years in prison.
While in prison, Xu Guang went on a long hunger strike to express his dissatisfaction with the political persecution. After being released from prison recently, he publicly stated:
“To commemorate June 4th, no regrets. ”
This sentence also deeply touched many people on the scene.
Fang Zheng said at the scene that all the proceeds from the cultural shirts sold at the event that day will be donated to Xu Guang, hoping that all those who fight for freedom for China will feel the warmth and care of overseas Chinese.
“We cannot enjoy freedom and forget those who still cling in the darkness. ”
Organizers said that the fundraising funds will be transferred to Xu Guang himself through the “opposition party” account, hoping to provide him with practical help and let more prisoners of conscience feel that the outside world is still paying attention to them.
At the end of the event, the people on the scene jointly shouted slogans such as “Never forget June 4th ”“Free China ”“End Autocracy”.
The Statue of Democracy stands quietly in the sunshine. The crowd surrounding the statue also made people see again: even after 37 years, there are still people who insist on protecting history, protecting the truth, and protecting China’s hope for future freedom.
Editor: Zhang Na
Proofreader: Feng Ren
Translation: Ge Bing
