Seeds of Fire: A People’s Chronology

Recalling events that happened on this day in history.
Memories of struggle, resistance and persistence.

Compiled by Ulli Diemer

June 4, 1951
Birth of Mansoor Hekmat (1951-2002), Iranian Marxist, leader of the Worker-Communist Party of Iran. Hekmat leaves Iran after the clerical revolution led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. He argues for a “return to Marx” and rejects Russian and Chinese “communism”, social democracy, and guerrilla warfare movements, as well as any connection between religion and the state. Further Reading: Mansoor Hekmat: Left Nationalism and Working Class Communism Mansoor Hekmat: Islam, Children’s Rights, and the Hijab-gate of Rah-e-Kargar Mansoor Hekmat: Islam and De-Islamisation
June 4, 1989
Units of the Chinese Army move in to clear Tiananmen Square in Beijing of the protesters who have been assembling in the square since mid-April. The protests have been calling for more government accountability, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and democratic reforms. Soldiers fire on the people in the square and in the surrounding areas: estimates of the death toll range from several hundred to several thousand. Protest leaders are arrested and imprisoned. In China, it remains illegal to commemorate or mention the event. Related Topics: Chinese History – Demonstrations, Marches, Protests – Massacres – Military/Violence Against Civilians – Tiananmen Square