April 15 1989 People begin to gather in Tiananmen Square to mourn death of Hu Yaobang, former Communist party chief (right). Grief turns to anger, with swelling crowds calling for greater democracy and demonstrating against high inflation, low wages and poor housing

 April 26 The People’s Daily, the state-run newspaper, publishes an editorial entitled “The necessity for a clear stand against turmoil”, which accuses the protesters of rejecting the Communist party and stokes public anger