The Tiananmen Square tank man: full video
If you haven't seen this, I strongly recommend it. It shows the man who famously stood in front of the tanks during the army crack-down on the Tiananmen Square protests 20 years ago -- and who, it emerges, did a great deal more than stand in front of them.
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In a world of stage-managed hype and spin and edit-suite contrived spectacle, this is a beacon of inspiration for the triumph of courage and the human spirit in the face of massive odds.
It is bookmarked to remind me that one person can make a huge difference and, if you believe it is worth doing and your cause is just, it is always worth standing up and making a protest.
That it was so passive, so peaceful, and so effective, is poetry.
That we do not know who this man is and what his fate might have been is awful, and that it may not have been a good one a tragedy but, perversely, if it were the power of his actions would probably be sullied by the media 'systems' of today.
A timeless unknown hero.
But I always spare a thought for the driver and/or commander who did not simply run him down.
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The claims of '5000 dead in Tiananmen Square' has always puzzled me. Where are the photographs? Where is the video footage? Media from around the world were all present, including Kate Adie (BBC). That troops started firing is not disputed, but the scale seems to have been grossly exaggerated by 'western' reports. Troops often fire in the air or fire blanks in such circumstances. I understand some may have been killed in side streets, but I haven't seen photos showing a mass slaughter on the Square, nor have I seen photos of side street killings. The 'defiant Tank Man' simply shows the army did not run him over, which they could have done easily, and claimed it was accident. I recall footage from the Poll Tax riots in London where the Police charged over protestors on horses. And in USA they did open fire and killed the Vietnam War protesters, as they did in South Africa where police shot protesters dead.
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Richard_SM,
I would refer you to this BBC News Online article that addresses your points:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8057762.stm
It is worth a read, noting the comments "There was no Tiananmen Square massacre, but there was a Beijing massacre" and "Protests occurred in almost every city in China (even in a town on the edge of the Gobi desert)"
I would also urge you to check out Kate Adie's recent documentary (last week, I think) in which she revisits the area and story, interviewing some of those actually involved. There was footage of plenty of bodies being brought into the hospitals, and Kate notes that the floors were awash with blood.
For another summary, search for 'BBC's eyewitness to Tianamen' on the BBC News. Also check out the BBC's timeline here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8057148.stm which includes video footage from the time.
Be under no illusion, there were plenty of people shot dead by the Army at that time.
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Also note the 'timeline' has specific video footage taken in a hospital showing the injured being rushed there (see "3 JUNE - Night of Bloodshed")
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