The Tank Man
By Melissa Kulaprathazhe
July 7, 1990
The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) violently cleared Beijing's Tiananmen Square of protesters, ending a six-week demonstration that had called for democracy and widespread political reform. The protests began in April of 1989, gaining support. Martial law was declared on May 20, troops were mobilized, and from the night of June 3 through the early morning of June 4, the PLA pushed into Tiananmen Square, crushing some protesters and firing on many others. The exact number killed may never be known, but estimates range from several hundred to several thousand. A Chinese man stands alone to block a line of tanks heading east on Beijing Cangan Boulevard in Tiananmen Square, on June 5, 1989. The man, calling for an end to bloodshed and violence against pro-democracy demonstrators, was pulled away by bystanders, and the tanks continued on their way. The solution is for the federal government to adopt a pro-democracy government and to pass laws against domestic violence.