[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 83 (Friday, May 30, 2014)]
[House]
[Page H5027]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
WE WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER THE STUDENTS OF TIANANMEN SQUARE
(Mr. ROTHFUS asked and was given permission to address the House for
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. ROTHFUS. Mr. Speaker, on June 4, we mark the 25th anniversary of
the massacre of peaceful protesters in Tiananmen Square in the People's
Republic of China. These protesters were merely calling for democracy,
an end to the dictatorship of the Communist Party, and an end to
government corruption.
The Chinese Government has tried to remove Tiananmen Square from the
consciousness of its people by censoring social media and preemptively
arresting those who would raise questions, pick quarrels, and provoke
trouble. We will always remember.
We will remember the art students who sculpted the ``Goddess of
Democracy,'' a defining image of the Tiananmen Square protests,
inspired by the Statue of Liberty. We will remember the Tank Man, who
singlehandedly stopped Chinese tanks in their tracks. We will remember
the hundreds, perhaps thousands--there has never been an official
counting--of those who died that day.
The spirit of the protesters lives on in these stories of heroism.
That spirit lives on in all those around the world who value freedom
and human rights.
We will always remember the students of Tiananmen Square. And to the
Chinese people who yearn for freedom, do not give up hope. One day, you
too will breathe free.
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