Laying Wreaths to The Goddess Of Democracy 2025

UBC representative: We have a responsibility to defend democracy

[Vancouver News] The June 4th Incident brought back a bloody and horrific dream, and the tears have not dried even after 36 years. VSSDM held a wreath laying event at the Goddess of Democracy on Sunday. About 50 people participated in the ceremony at the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Burnaby and the University of British Columbia (UBC). The scene was mournful.

Laying flowers to the Goddess of Democracy is the second event in the series of activities held by VSSDM to commemorate the June 4th Incident. The first event was held at 10 a.m. on June 1 (Sunday) at the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Burnaby. Edmund Leung, chairman of VSSDM, could not help crying for a long time when he mentioned the bloody suppression 36 years ago.

After the event at the Forest Lawn Cemetery, some people went to UBC. The Goddess of Democracy, which is located next to the UBC Student Union Building, has become more eye-catching because of the completion of the new Student Union Building and the new environment around it.

During the wreath-laying ceremony, Edmund Leung pointed out that the Goddess of Democracy is a symbol born from the fire of courage and faith crushed by tyranny. "We will never forget the June 4th Incident, when tens of thousands of people were killed and many more were imprisoned or exiled. We will never forget the families of the victims, especially the Tiananmen Mothers, who have endured decades of silent grief and are still forbidden to publicly commemorate their children." He said that although the Goddess of Democracy was toppled in Tiananmen Square, the flame of resistance will continue to exist.

Yi Xingtian, Vice President of External Affairs of the UBC Student Union

Solomon Yi-Kieran, on behalf of the Student Union, also issued a statement. After expressing his condolences to the victims of the June Fourth Incident, he said that students are the ones who dare to dream of a better world. However, reactionary and authoritarian forces are growing around the world, threatening the rights of students, immigrants, ethnic minorities and women around the world. In the chaos around the world, the same distrust, the same division, and the same hatred are spreading in Canada. He said that as students, it is their responsibility to ensure that the light of democracy, equality and community is shining brighter and brighter.

Diana Larry, a retired UBC professor who was in Beijing during the June 4th Incident, also spoke at the ceremony. After briefly reviewing her experiences back then, she told a story about Sun Yat-sen, one of the main forces that overthrew the Qing Dynasty. Although Sun Yat-sen was called a Chinese, Diana reminded that Sun Yat-sen never spoke a word of northern dialect, and he spoke entirely in Cantonese to other Cantonese people. Diana believes that this is a history that is very worthy of pride, even if it is a history that is often forgotten.

On the other hand, there will be two more June 4th commemorative events. One will be a candlelight vigil at 7pm on Wednesday evening at David LAM Park in the city center. There will also be a lecture on Thursday, June 5th, by Giggs and Alex Chow. Everyone is welcome to attend.