'Tank Man'

'Tank Man'
Interests	Tiananmen Square massacre
An unarmed demonstrator who stopped a column of tanks by standing in front of them the day after the "Tiananmen Square massacre".

'Tank Man' (dubbed 'The Unknown Rebel' by Time Magazine, which later named him one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century) is/was a protestor who stood in front of a column of tanks on June 4, 1989, the morning after the so-called "Tiananmen Square massacre". While the symbol is striking, the greater narrative has some holes, notably that there was no massacre.

Incident

'Tank Man' was photographed by 5 photographers and the images were smuggled out of China. The dramatic images quickly made him became a international icon of non-violent resistance. There exists video footage of the event which proves, that he was not killed by that tank.

Problems with official narrative

There never was a "massacre" at Tiananmen Square. The tank column were on their way away from the square, the day after it had been cleared, and had not been used in clearing the square. Unlike if someone had tried to hinder a police or military operation in the West, which quickly would have led to a beating or arrest, he could leave the place on his own unhindered.

Fate

His fate and identity remain unknown. That includes that there are no indications that he ever was arrested or harassed.

Legacy

'Tank Man' remains an enduring symbol of courage. In October 2021, a cartoonist of over 20 years standing was sacked in Australia for posting the image shown on Instagram, during the COVID universal vaccination project.

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