Hong Kong Police have arrested several organizers of the city's annual candlelight vigil commemorating the Tiananmen Square event.
The arrests were made before the vigil, which was prohibited by authorities due to COVID-19 concerns.
Police closed off Victoria Park Friday, while also sending a stern warning to residents not to gather in public places. In China, authorities also increased security in Beijing Square with police conducting constant stop-and-checks of pedestrians and tourists visiting the site.
The senior superintendent of the Hong Kong police force, Law Kwok-hoi, confirmed Friday that they had arrested two people from the Hong Kong Alliance. Law said they arrested a 36-year-old woman and a 20-year-old man, who were found guilty of publicly calling on the public to gather for the vigil on social media.
The Hong Kong Alliance confirmed the arrest Friday, stating that one of them was its vice-chair, Chow Hang Tung. The alliance said it had complied with the city's mandate and had even canceled their previously planned online vigil. The alliance also closed down their June 4 Museum, which was put up as a dedication to remember the Tiananmen incident.
Even after city authorities denied the group's appeal to hold the vigil this year, Chow reportedly continued with her activism and urged people to commemorate the event through her social media accounts. Chow, who has been a member of the Hong Kong Alliance since 2010, previously said that she expects to be imprisoned at some point for her actions.
"I'm already being persecuted for participating and inciting last year's candlelight vigil. If I continue my activism in pushing for democracy in Hong Kong and China, surely they will come after me at some point, so it's sort of expected," Chow previously said.
This will be the second time in a row that the candlelight vigil has been canceled by the government. Last year, thousands of people violated the city's order and gathered at Victoria Park to light candles and sing songs. Authorities charged and arrested more than 20 activists, including Chow, for the unauthorized assembly.
