Groups of Chinese dissidents and activists gathered in Washington on May 30, days before the 37th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre, demanding democratic change in China.
The massacre took place on June 4, 1989, after weeks of student-led pro-democracy protests in Beijing’s central square. On the night of June 3–4, the People’s Liberation Army stormed the area with tanks and troops, violently crushing the demonstrations. Casualty estimates range from hundreds to thousands. Discussion of the massacre remains heavily censored in China’s state-run media.
Pro-democracy Chinese diaspora groups in the United States, including the National Committee of the Democracy Party of China, the Independent Federation of Chinese Students and Scholars, and the Wei Jingsheng Foundation, rallied in front of the Chinese Embassy in Washington. Protesters chanted slogans such as “Never Forget the June 4 Massacre!” and “Down with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)!”
Chinese dissidents and democracy activists hold a rally in front of the Chinese Embassy in Washington to commemorate the 37th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre and to demand democracy in China, in Washington on May 30, 2026. Li Chen/The Epoch Times
Demonstrators carried numerous Chinese and English banners reading “Hold the CCP Accountable for its Bloody Crimes,” “Overthrow the Tyranny,” “Free the Uyghurs,” “Free Tibet,” and “Crack Down on the Chinese Communist Party’s Infiltration in the U.S.”
Chinese dissidents and democracy activists hold a rally in front of the Chinese Embassy in Washington to commemorate the 37th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre and to demand democracy in China, on May 30, 2026. Li Chen/The Epoch Times
‘Our Goal: Overthrow the CCP’
Prominent dissident and former political prisoner Wei Jingsheng told The Epoch Times at the protest site that the mindset of the Chinese people has fundamentally changed since 1989.
Wei Jingsheng, a prominent Chinese dissident and former political prisoner, delivers a speech at the pro-democracy rally commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre in front of the Chinese Embassy in Washington on May 30, 2026. Li Chen/The Epoch Times
“Our goal is to overthrow the CCP,” Wei said.
“Back then, students and citizens still wanted to reason with the CCP. But the CCP answered with tanks and machine guns. Today, no one wants to reason with them anymore. Most people are now thinking about how to bring the CCP down as soon as possible.”
‘No Peace for China or the World if CCP Isn’t Overthrown’
Wang Juntao, U.S.-based chairman of the National Committee of the China Democracy Party, led more than 100 protesters in demonstrations in front of the White House, the U.S. Capitol, and the Victims of Communism Memorial in commemoration of the Tiananmen Square massacre that happened 37 years ago.
Wang Juntao, U.S.-based chairman of the National Committee of the China Democracy Party, at the pro-democracy rally commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre in front of the Chinese Embassy in Washington on May 30, 2026. Li Chen/The Epoch Times
He noted that an increasing number of young people are joining the opposition to the CCP.
“Many protesters today are very young, including those born after 1989. In China, they don’t have a fair chance to grow and develop,” Wang told The Epoch Times.
“As long as the CCP’s tyranny is not overthrown, there will be no peace for the Chinese people or the world.”
Li Hengqing, a former Tsinghua University student leader and one of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protesters, told The Epoch Times that every chant of “Down with the CCP” is a step toward building a free and democratic China, and that such actions deeply unsettle the regime.
Li said a “popular uprising could take place at any time” in China, as the communist regime “lacks legitimacy and will eventually be brought down by an angry public.”
The China Democracy Party announced it will hold a large memorial rally and march in Flushing, Queens—New York’s biggest Chinese neighborhood—on June 7 to commemorate the Tiananmen Square massacre and to showcase the determination for democracy in China.
The rally is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. ET in front of the Flushing Library, followed by a march. The entire event is expected to last about two hours.
Li Chen and Carolina Avendano contributed to this report.
