Tiananmen massacre survivor speaks about current protests in China
NEW YORK - Sitting on a playground bench in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, artist and Tiananmen Square massacre survivor Rose Tang wore a red headband, a trademark of the Tiananmen Square protest in 1989 that turned deadly, as she spoke to Fox 5 News about the current situation in China.
"When the tanks rolled in, I was inside Tiananmen Square," Tang said. "I had to climb over a tank to survive."
Tang also joined the Hong Kong protest in 2014 and again in 2019, which the Chinese government also put down.
With all her experience, Tang, who lives in Brooklyn, said the current protests in China over the countries zero-COVID policies are more effective because an entire young generation of Chinese have traveled around the world and have seen how democracies works firsthand.
"These protesters, the white paper revolution protesters, are directly in touch with the world, which is what the Chinese government is most afraid of," Tang told Fox 5 News.
Given the history of a government not afraid to use violence to end protests, the outspoken demonstrations inside China against lockdowns have taken many by surprise. Under that pressure, the Chinese government began to ease back on some COVID restrictions.
Tang explained what she sees as the reason behind it.
"It's not because they are suddenly nicer," Tang said of the Chinese government. "It's because they're afraid of the mass movement growing bigger and spreading to more places — escalating."