China's crackdown on Tiananmen memorials shows its obsession with security – and growing paranoia

Hours after attending a 4 June vigil, a Chinese student overseas is contacted by her father, bearing a message from the security services: do not participate in activities that might harm China's reputation. In a London theatre, three British actors starring in May 35th, a play about the 1989 Tiananmen killings, keep their identities secret and use pseudonyms. They take this step after actors drop out of a previous Tiananmen-related production in Arizona due to perceived risks to family in China. Thirty-five years have passed since the People's Liberation Army opened fire on the Chinese people, yet Beijing seems more…