My Supporting Voice for Our Tiananmen Brothers
Göran Lindblad
Again approaching the day to remember the heroic peaceful protests by students at Tiananmen Square 1989.
The totalitarian communist regime responded to the non-violent manifestation with brutal force.
Tanks against unarmed shocked the world.
As time flies, and current world events consumes daily news media attention, we now, 28 years later need to commemorate and remember the heroes as well as not forget the perpetrators.
The best symbol of the Tiananmen protests and regime massacre is of course the Tank Man. The young protester, holding his shopping bags, standing in front of, and seemingly stopping the tank column.
The pictures of Tiananmen Man spread epidemically in the world media at the time. However it is still, now today a very powerful message of the importance of individuals can make a difference standing up for human rights democracy and rule of law.
As President of the Platform of European Memory and Conscience, I fully support the efforts to make images and video footages of the Tank Man part of UNESCO´s Register of Memory of the World.
Göran Lindblad is former Swedish MP and former Chair of Political Affairs committee in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE)