June 4th Memorial in California Vandalized; Wang Dan Vows to Persevere

(CNA, Taipei, June 1) On the eve of the 37th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square incident, the June 4th Memorial in Los Angeles was vandalized on May 31 local time. Wang Dan, the museum director and a leader of the 1989 democracy movement, stated that they would never stop operations due to such vandalism and threats. He emphasized that with support from all walks of life, they would run the memorial even better, declaring, "No matter how strong the storm, we will stand firm." According to Wang Dan's post on X, the second "China Forum" was scheduled to be held at the memorial on May 31, with the theme "Cross-generational Cooperation in Political Opposition Movements," featuring Wang Tiancheng, director of the China Institute for Democracy and Transformation. However, on the morning of May 31, volunteers discovered that the memorial's main entrance had been vandalized and graffitied, and they subsequently reported it to the police. Wang Dan added that given the timing, the motive for the act is not hard to imagine. The perpetrators broke into the memorial, destroyed surveillance cameras, and then began the destruction. Wang Dan stated that the memorial would not be deterred, but rather strengthened by the support. Regarding the forum, Wang Dan updated on X that despite the malicious incident, they proceeded as planned. "What was moving was that the participants were packed, with the crowd lining up to the main entrance." Wang Dan said, "I believe some friends came specifically to participate and express their support for the June 4th Memorial." He concluded, "Suppression only brings us more support!"