this post was submitted on 09 Jan 2026
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While true, this is after the army had already made its way into the area by opening fire on the protestors. The protesters, after being confined to the square, didn't see much point in resisting further, as their leadership fell apart and there had been plenty of casualties already. Right above the section you quoted:
Obviously this was far from a peaceful protest, with protesters attacking and killing soldiers after said soldiers were ordered to make their way to the square, and some of the protest leaders explicitly calling for bloodshed.
I don't know how I would've handled it personally, as I lack the cultural background needed to properly understand the cause of the protest, but it feels disingenuous to call the dispersal "peaceful". The fact that the government hides the official death toll also doesn't help their reputation.
I never once said it was a peaceful protest either, just that there was no massacre on the square. Hundreds died around the square when adding up the rioters and PLA members killed around Beijing that day. Further, Wikipedia is notoriously western biased. China also doesn't hide the official death toll, the numbers released by them are far below the now confirmed false "10,000" ans other estimates given by westerners.
It was tragic, yes, but not at all what westerners think happened.