Nintendo’s ‘Animal Crossing’ Players Hold Virtual Tiananmen Square Vigils

Players of Nintendo’s Animal Crossing video game held virtual vigils to commemorate the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, 31 years after China killed thousands of peaceful pro-democracy protesters in Beijing.

For the first time since the tragedy took place, authorities in Hong Kong banned commemorations and remembrance vigils of the massacre, citing the coronavirus pandemic as the justification. Police did not, however, significantly intervene when thousands visited Hong Kong’s Victoria Park on Thursday night and peacefully held a candlelight vigil.

Animal Crossing x Tiananmen massacre vigil. "…players started marking the event early by uploading photos to social media showing their virtual islands featuring candles, images of tanks, slogans and the numbers '8964' " @MashaBorak https://t.co/12KSlIQEMk

— Mary Hui (@maryhui) June 4, 2020

It is not the first time Hongkongers have used the Animal Crossing video game, which has sold more than 40 million copies worldwide and is particularly popular in Asia, to make political statements. This year, amid the height of the coronavirus pandemic when people were fearful of going outdoors, many gamers designed and displayed protest art in an effort to regain the momentum of last year’s protest.

Many of these virtual protests, often mocking Chinese dictator Xi Jinping or Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, went viral across social media, leading to the country’s censors removing the game from sale in China. Many in China have managed to circumvent the ban by finding the game for sale under a different code name.

Practically all information in China is highly controlled by the Communist Party’s army of censors, particularly across social media platforms where it is most likely to spread. This means factual information around what happened in Tiananmen and tributes to those who died is extremely hard to come by, with those providing it facing the risk of arrest and imprisonment.

Despite the ban on vigils in Hong Kong, thousands of people defied the police ban on Thursday, risking fines or even arrest, to stage their annual vigil. Just hours before the demonstrations took place, Hong Kong’s Beijing-controlled legislature criminalized insulting China’s national anthem “March of the Volunteers.” Those found guilty of doing so can now face up to three years in prison and a fine of up to 50,000 Hong Kong dollars ($6,450).

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