Net Alert

As demonstrations continued in Tiananmen Square, party leaders decided to take a new offensive to end the protests in Beijing.

Conflicts broke out between troops and protesters between the evening of June 3 and the morning of June 4. Some troops opened fire at civilians as they tried to break through barricades set up by protesters.

Muxidi, the main intersection connecting Beijing’s western suburb areas with its city center, was allegedly the scene of the most injuries and deaths during the military crackdown.

Not all army commanders supported the use of military force on civilians. Major General Xu Qinxian, leader of the 38th Group Army of the People’s Liberation Army, refused to use lethal force on protesters.