32 Photos Show the Hope and Despair of Tiananmen Square

It is a testament to just what a monumental challenge the protests in Tiananmen Square posed to China's authoritarian government that the People's Liberation Army responded to them with such force 30 years ago today. Even now, that same government is working to scrub the resulting bloodshed from the national memory. Hong Kong has been banned from commemorating the events of June 4, 1989 as the central government in Beijing strengthens its grip on the city, though the stated reason for the ban is the risk of gatherings during a pandemic. It is up to the rest of the world, then, to remember. Here are some of the most striking photos from that day, and what became known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre.