WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on Thursday recognized the 31st anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre:

“Thirty-one years ago, peaceful protestors gathered in Tiananmen Square to demand their universal rights in China, only to be met with brutal military force. Today we honor those brave protestors and remember the Chinese citizens who lost their lives on June 4, 1989. How governments respond to peaceful protests is a fundamental part of what distinguishes democracies from dictatorships. In 1989, the Chinese military responded to the peaceful protest of their citizens with lethal violence. Three decades later, the parallels with what we are seeing happen today in the United States are chilling,” said Murphy. “As President Trump threatens to use military forces to “dominate” peaceful protestors, our own democracy is at risk and dictators around the world are hoping to see us fall to their depths. We cannot let that happen. As we commemorate the brave people in Tiananmen Square who tragically lost their lives in pursuit of their freedoms, we must ensure those freedoms are preserved at home and preserve the promise of the American democratic example.”

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