Thousands in Hong Kong mark the 25th anniversary of Tiananmen Square massacre (PHOTOS)

Tens of thousands of people held a candlelight vigil in Hong Kong on Wednesday to mark the bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protesters 25 years ago in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, while mainland China authorities sought to whitewash the 1989 event.

Demonstrators holding candles and clad mainly in black gathered in a downtown park and called on Beijing to atone for the killings.

A large number of mainland Chinese also flocked to commemorate the crackdown in the former British territory, where a vigil has been held every year since the massacre. Organizers said some 180,000 people took part on Wednesday evening.

"Hong Kong is a free society where you can speak out. In China, the Communist Party dictates everything," said Chen Jing Gen, in his 60s, who traveled from the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen to attend the vigil.

"People in mainland China are mostly aware of June 4, but due to the control of the Party no one dares to talk about it."

— Thomson Reuters