Ferguson 'Tank Man' protester evokes iconic image from Tiananmen Square protests
A photograph of a demonstrator standing in front of a row of armored vehicles during Monday night's Ferguson progests has sparked comparisons to one of the 20th century’s most famous images — Tiananmen Square's iconic "Tank Man."
Aerial video footage of the incident was also shot Monday night after a grand jury decided not to indict Ferguson, Mo., police officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown.
The protester lifted his hands in the air on the streets of Ferguson as the vehicles inched closer.
Raised hands have become a symbol of dissent in the greater St. Louis area, based on witness accounts that Brown had his hands stretched toward the sky in a show of surrender before his death.
The new video is just one of many showing the demonstrations after St. Louis County's top prosecutor announced the grand jury’s controversial decision.
Commentators on social media immediately started comparing the sight to the similar Tank Man footage from Beijing, which became an international symbol of resistance in China in 1989.
That unknown protester stood in front of a row of tanks the morning after the Chinese military suppressed pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square.
The tanks tried to maneuver around the unidentified man, but he repositioned himself, blocking their way. Ultimately, he was whisked away by other people on the ground — but his daring gesture lived on.
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