Several hundred civilians have been shot dead by the Chinese army during a bloody military operation to crush a democratic protest in Peking's (Beijing) Tiananmen Square in 1989.
Tanks rumbled through the capital's streets late on 3 June as the army moved into the square from several directions, randomly firing on unarmed protesters.
The injured were rushed to hospital on bicycle rickshaws by frantic residents shocked by the army's sudden and extreme response to the peaceful mass protest.
Demonstrators, mainly students, had occupied the square for seven weeks, refusing to move until their demands for democratic reform were met.
The protests began with a march by students in memory of former party leader Hu Yaobang, who had died a week before.
But as the days passed, millions of people from all walks of life joined in, angered by widespread corruption and calling for democracy.
The military offensive came after several failed attempts to persuade the protesters to leave.
Throughout the day the government warned it would do whatever it saw necessary to clamp down on what it described as "social chaos".
But even though violence was expected, the ferocity of the attack took many by surprise, bringing condemnation from around the world.
The then US President George Bush said he deeply deplored the use of force, and the then UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said she was "shocked and appalled by the shootings".
Amid the panic and confusion students could be heard shouting "fascists stop killing," and "down with the government".
At a nearby children's hospital operating theatres were filled with casualties with gunshot wounds, many of them local residents who were not taking part in the protests.
Early this morning at least 30 more were killed in two volleys of gunfire, which came without warning. Terrified crowds fled, leaving bodies in the road.
Meanwhile reports have emerged of troops searching the main Peking university campus for ringleaders, beating and killing those they suspect of co-ordinating the protests.
The big picture begins to come to focus the student who went to what was suppose to be a peaceful demonstration a few rotten apples started to spoil the march be smashing windows of the Tory HQ then ran into the office roof top to throw a fire extinguisher which nearly missed some police officers now many of you will be thinking am a Tory card member the true is I'm a Labour member card holder and proud of it I was on the first march with my young niece in law who wanted to experience it for the first time on the march the only different is the UK Government is not a dictator like China if the ConDem Coalition Government want to save face then it is time for them to listen to the voice od the students.
Students have smashed up a police van and there have been sporadic skirmishes during a series of major demonstrations against tuition fees.
Rallies have been held across the country, including in London, Bristol, Birmingham, Glasgow, Manchester, Cambridge and Brighton.
Police moved to contain the demo in the capital by using the controversial "kettling" tactic - meaning large numbers of people could be held in one place for several hours.
But the Metropolitan Police soon shifted the policy to one of "controlled dispersal".
THE PROTEST SCENES AROUND THE COUNTRY
However, moving the hundreds of protesters held in Whitehall was a slow process and it took until around 10pm to clear the area.
As frustration mounted among the demonstrators, attempts were made to smash a window at the Treasury and a bus stop was set on fire.
Earlier, protesters surrounded a police van in Whitehall, rocking it back and forth and smashing the windscreen with wooden poles.
'Shouting Didn't Do Anything'
Other students tried to halt the vandalism, but it was later looted.
Zoe Williams, who tried to stop the demonstrators, told Sky News she wanted the students to "rationalise" their actions.
She added: "I didn't want other people to get injured - people don't realise that when you rock a van it can fall over."
A demonstrator stands on top of the trashed police van
Thousands gathered in and around Whitehall and Trafalgar Square to protest against the hike in university fees and the planned cutting of the education maintenance allowance (EMA).
The protests around the country have been largely peaceful, although four arrests were made in Manchester, four in Bristol and one in Brighton.
The Met said 32 arrests were made in the capital.
Higher University Fees: The Facts
However, sporadic violence broke out in central London, where protesters threw wooden poles at officers and tried to break through the police line.
One police officer is thought to have suffered a broken hand, while a second sustained leg injuries. Seventeen members of the public have also been hurt.
Sky News home affairs correspondent Mark White said two metal barriers were thrown at police.
A masked protester sits in a police van
Education Secretary Michael Gove has condemned the disorder. He told Sky News: "I respond to arguments, I don't respond to violence."
But march organiser James Mills said scrapping the £30-a-week EMA would be a "punitive cut".
He added: "If we can find £7bn to bail out Ireland we should be finding £500m to bail out the poorest in the country."
PROTESTER CRITICISES GOVERNMENT AND POLICE
Sky News crime correspondent Martin Brunt said toilets and water have been brought for those protesters being held in place in Whitehall.
It is thought it is the first time such provisions have been made for a contained crowd.
Describing containment as a "widely condemned tactic", Brunt added: "Police will be disappointed they were not able to allow the peaceful protest to continue."
A protester held in place in Whitehall shows his frustration
Demonstrators were heard chanting "let us out" - while at least one protester started to do his homework.
Graham Wettone, a former Met Police public order intelligence officer, praised the police action.
He told Sky News: "It's been a successful operation. It's very warm when you are jumping up and down but when you are standing still it gets cold very quickly."
Fireworks are thrown at mounted police in Bristol
The decision to contain the demo was made amid intelligence that a group wanted to attack the Liberal Democrat HQ.
A statement from the Met said the tactic was employed "to prevent further criminal damage".
Police have been keen to show they are well prepared after claims they were caught out by the high turnout in Westminster on November 10 that led to a riot and 60 arrests.
Gove: Government Won’t Respond To Violence
Ahead of the protest, former Met Police commissioner Brian Paddick told Sky News the police would "throw the kitchen sink" at the demo to ensure there was no violence.
In a speech on Tuesday evening, Nick Clegg called on students to reconsider their opposition to the Government's plans.
He said: "Listen and look before you march and shout. Our plans will mean that many of the lowest income graduates will repay less than they do under the current system."
Demonstrators hanged an effigy of the Deputy Prime Minister
NUS president Aaron Porter told Sky News he wanted students to protest in order to hold the Government to account, but insisted: "There are no conditions in which violence is acceptable."
The protests came on the same day Edward Woollard, 18, pleaded guilty to violent disorder after admitting throwing a fire extinguisher from the roof of Millbank Tower during those protests.
Two men were arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of violent disorder, one in Leicester and another in London.
