Google services in most parts of China were disrupted ahead of the 25th anniversary of the killing of protesters in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, Reuters news agency reported Monday morning.
According to the report, which was sourced from the website GreatFire.org, the Chinese government has begun blocking access to Google servers, including its search service, email, and many other services, in large areas of China. It was also reported that the government took similar action about two years ago, but it only lasted 12 hours.
""It is unclear whether the block is a temporary measure around the anniversary or a permanent block. But the block has been going on for four days, it is likely that Google's servers have been severely disrupted, and it is likely that problems will arise in the future," they said on the website.
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When asked about the disruptions, a Google spokesperson said: "We have already checked extensively and there is no problem on our side.".
Reuters was unable to reach the Chinese government for comment, as today is a national holiday in China, but the usual response in such cases is that all internet companies operating in China must comply with the law.
Google moved its Chinese search servers out of China in 2010, claiming that censorship was rampant, and operates them from Hong Kong.
The Chinese government already blocks Facebook, Twitter, and Google's video service, YouTube.
The Tiananmen Square protests were a series of protests that took place between April 15, 1989, and June 4 of that year, centered on Tiananmen Square, the central square in Beijing. The main focus of the protests was the "occupation" of the square by students from across China who demanded democratic reforms in the country.
The demonstrations were widely supported by industrialists who were also concerned about the extent of corruption in the government, and this created a situation in which most residents supported the demonstrations and protests. At the peak of the demonstrations, organizers gathered over a million people in Tiananmen Square.
On May 20, 1989, martial law was declared in China, a move that did not deter the protesters. After several weeks, the decision was made to clear the square of protesters by force. The soldiers' entry into the square was met with resistance, and several soldiers were injured and killed. Residents blocked the access routes to the square, but on the night of June 4, 1989, the soldiers cleared the square of protesters. Fighting between the protesters and the army continued in the streets surrounding the square, and protesters who tried to return to the square were met with live fire from the soldiers' Kalashnikov rifles. The many wounded were evacuated in rickshaws that were allowed to move between the soldiers and the protesters.
The Tiananmen Square protests severely damaged China's image in the eyes of the Western world, mainly because of the presence of many journalists in Beijing ahead of Gorbachev's visit, who were able to cover the repression in the square live, and because the confusion at the party's top level prevented it from immediately shutting down the media.
