Police launch clampdown on Tiananmen Square anniversary

A massive police presence ringed China’s Tiananmen Square today, the 20th anniversary of the bloody crackdown on pro-democracy activists, as the government continued an overwhelming drive to muzzle dissent and block commemorations.

An exiled protest leader – famous for publicly haranguing one of China’s top leaders 20 years ago – was also blocked from returning home to confront officials over what he called the “June 4 massacre”.