Rubio says China cannot censor memory of Tiananmen Square crackdown

WASHINGTON - China's censorship cannot erase the memory of peaceful demonstrators attacked in and around Tiananmen Square in 1989, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday, ahead of the anniversary of the Chinese government's crackdown there.

"On June 4, the world marks 37 years since the Chinese Communist Party ordered its troops to attack thousands of peaceful demonstrators in and around Tiananmen Square," Rubio said in a statement.

"No amount of censorship can erase the past. Those who sacrificed to uphold their unalienable rights of free expression and peaceful assembly will be vindicated someday," Rubio said.

(Reporting by Michael Martina; Editing by Chris Reese)

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This story was originally published June 3, 2026 at 2:29 PM.