Tiananmen Square 25th Anniversary: Ominous Pictures That Show Countdown To Massacre

Countdown To A Massacre: Ominous Pictures Show Tiananmen Before The Guns Were Fired
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Smiling faces and dancing children – the images below present a very different picture of the brutal Tiananmen Square massacre in China.

25 years ago this week, one of the world's most infamous demonstrations was taking place in Beijing.

With a hazy hippie vibe permeating from every shot, the stunning photographs show a poignant side to a tragedy that unravelled rapidly in front of the world's media – and was even more quickly hidden away.

After weeks of peaceful protests, the authorities responded on 4 June 1989 with a bloody and ruthless massacre of hundreds in the streets of Beijing.

China's People's Liberation Army marched on its own people, guns blazing, and retook Tiananmen Square from the students pictured below.

Tiananmen Square
Chairman Mao splattered with paint(01 of26)
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Students made 'The Goddess of Democracy' statue (02 of26)
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It represented their struggle(03 of26)
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Children danced and smiled in the square on June 1(04 of26)
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Students burned copies of The Beijing Daily newspaper(05 of26)
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And soldiers showed support for the protest(06 of26)
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There were victory signs near the square(07 of26)
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And students openly rejected the governement(08 of26)
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The spirit of Woodstock took hold(09 of26)
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Student leader Wang Dan called for a city wide march(10 of26)
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Earlier in the month some went on a hunger protest(11 of26)
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And showed their deep mistrust of the regime(12 of26)
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But a sense of victory swept over the people as the press joined in(13 of26)
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Protests even took on a fun and relaxed tone(14 of26)
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And people celebrated in the streets with victory signs(15 of26)
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Thousands lined the streets in support(16 of26)
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Student teachers also raised their hands in support(17 of26)
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The square was packed (18 of26)
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A sea of flags promoted pro-reform(19 of26)
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But there was an uncertain calm(20 of26)
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Soldiers fired hundreds of rounds towards angry crowds (21 of26)
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Wounded people were loaded onto rickshaws(22 of26)
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Bodies of dead civilians lie among mangled bicycles(23 of26)
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Protesters puts barricades in the path of the army vehicles(24 of26)
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One man took action into his own hands(25 of26)
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This iconic image captures the spirit of the day(26 of26)
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At the time, the Chinese government characterised the protests as counter-revolutionary riots. Beijing still does not acknowledge the event with any kind of memorial.

Estimates of deaths range from the hundreds well into the thousands, with many more injured.

While international audiences may recall well the searing image of "Tank Man" standing his ground in front of a column of armoured oppression, it's an event that China is desperate to erase from the history books.

Now, in the lead up to the 25th anniversary of the crackdown, China has enthusiastically tightened security and widened an even tighter clampdown on dissent.

Chillingly, analysts say repression for the anniversary of the protests is even more intense than in previous years.

Lawyers, journalists and activists have been detained as the Chinese authorities attempt to suppress those that seek to commemorate the victims of 4 June 1989.

In Hong Kong, however, hundreds marched through the streets in a pro-democracy rally on Sunday in a remarkable act of defiance by people who are these days Chinese citizens.

A team carried a massive banner demanding Chinese leaders formally acknowledge what happened on June 4th, 1989, while others carried signs demanding the release of political prisoners such as Nobel Prize-winning dissident Liu Xiaobo.

Thousands more are expected to take part in a Tiananmen remembrance rally on Wednesday.

The human rights organisation Amnesty International said the past few days have seen the Chinese authorities "ratchet up the repression."

"They appear willing to stop at nothing in their attempts to prevent people from marking the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown," William Nee, China Researcher said.

He demanded the authorities "cease this campaign of severe persecution."

"The authorities’ suffocating grip on freedom of expression will not stop people in China and around the world from remembering the victims of 4 June 1989.”