WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Rick Scott released the following statement after the Hong Kong government announced it will ban the June 4^th vigil commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre and protests.

Senator Rick Scott said, “In 1989 the world watched in horror as the Communist Party of China used military force to crush pro-democracy activists gathered at Tiananmen Square. Today, 32 years later, the tyrannical rulers of Communist China have extended their reach to crush pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong. Through his brutal attack on Hong Kong’s democracy, General Secretary Xi has destroyed the ‘one country, two systems’ agreement, arrested dozens of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy leaders and politicians, eliminated basic civil liberties and upended Hong Kong’s democratic electoral system.

“Communist China’s refusal to tolerate dissent and willingness to silence and imprison those who support democracy is disgusting. To General Secretary Xi, I have a clear message: the world is watching and your aggression will not go unanswered. I will never stop fighting to protect freedom and democracy around the world and do everything in my power to hold Communist China accountable.”

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