Tank Man is the nickname of an unidentified Chinese man who stood in front of a column of tanks leaving Tiananmen Square on June 5, 1989, the morning after the Chinese military had suppressed the Tiananmen Square protests by force. As the lead tank manoeuvered to pass by the man, he repeatedly shifted his position in order to obstruct the tank's attempted path around him. The incident was filmed and smuggled out to a worldwide audience. Internationally, it is considered one of the most iconic images of all time. Inside China, the image and the events leading up are subject to heavy state censorship.There is no reliable information about the identity or fate of the man; the story of what happened to the tank crew is also unknown. At least one witness has stated that "Tank Man" was not the only person who had opposed the tanks during the protest. Shao Jiang, who was a student leader, said: "I witnessed a lot of the people standing up, blocking the tanks." Tank Man is unique in that he is the only one who was photographed and recorded on video. Wikipedia
“Why are you here? My city is in chaos because of you!”
The Unknown Rebel http://www.time.com/time/time100/leaders/profile/rebel.html Time profile. Retrieved January 10, 2006.
Misattributed
“Go back! Turn around! Stop killing my people!”
These two statements are frequently attributed to Tank Man on the Internet. While it seems clear from the footage that some communication occurred between Tank Man and the people in the front tank, no confirmation has ever been made as to what was actually spoken.
Misattributed
