On May 31, 2026, the June 4th Memorial Museum in El Monte, California was broken into and vandalized. By whom? Why? Congressmen want the Department of Justice to investigate given the possibility “that the incident could be linked to the Chinese Communist Party’s alleged [?] campaign of transnational repression” (ANI, July 10, 2026).
Um, ANI writer: a connection to the CCP’s campaign of transnational repression is being plausibly alleged. The Party’s longtime transnational repression of Chinese nationals and others living outside of the PRC is too well documented to be called merely an “alleged” category of state action. Although not enough has been done to stop such activity, in recent years there have been a few trials and convictions (see here and here and here).
ANI:
Moolenaar and Co-Chair of the US Congressional-Executive Commission on China, Chris Smith, sent a letter to Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche urging the DOJ to determine whether the attack on the June 4 Massacre Memorial Museum was connected to individuals acting on behalf of the CCP.
Moolenaar accused the CCP of attempting [try: observed that the CCP attempts] to silence critics beyond China’s borders through intimidation and repression.
“The CCP is the biggest oppressor of Chinese people in the world, and it is constantly trying to silence its critics in the United States through its campaign of transnational repression,” he said. He urged the DOJ and the FBI to investigate the vandalism to safeguard the rights of the Chinese diaspora and Chinese Americans who speak out against Beijing.
Smith said the museum preserves the historical record of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, a subject that Chinese authorities have long censored….
Smith stated that the United States must remain a place where survivors, dissidents, and members of the Chinese diaspora can express their views without fear of foreign intimidation, calling for a thorough investigation into the incident.
IANSlive adds that Moolenaar and Smith support the Transnational Repression Policy Act, the purpose of which is “to protect persons within the United States, and United States nationals who are outside of the United States, from actions by foreign governments, or individuals acting on behalf of foreign governments, that violate internationally recognized human rights.”
Investigations
On June 4, Domino Theory reported:
“The main part of the museum’s exhibition, including parts of the walls, was defaced with spray paint, causing serious damage to the museum’s assets,” the museum said in a statement.
“My first reaction was shock, followed by anger,” [museum cofounder Wang Dan] told Domino Theory in an email. “Finally, I’m prepared to accept this challenge and continue to run the memorial hall well.”
If the Justice Department does undertake an investigation, it would be in addition to that of the El Monte Police Department, the result of which, it said, would be reported to the FBI “in compliance with applicable hate crime reporting requirements.”
The museum doesn’t want to simply erase the effects of the recent vandalism.
“Because transnational repression is also part of human rights violations, the vandalism of the June 4th Memorial Hall, in my view, is itself a continuation of the June 4th repression, and therefore should be part of the exhibition,” Wang says. “It should allow people to see how historical memory is destroyed.”
Also see:
jinian64.org: Museum of 1989.6.4
Taipei Times: “Museum in LA honors Tiananmen Square legacy”
Congress.gov: Transnational Repression Policy Act
