Leica's "Tank Man" Video Raises Shock in China on Tiananmen's Anniversary

BEIJING (Reuters) – Germany's Leica Camera AG has criticized Chinese social media for a video of a news photographer reporting on the suppression of pro-democracy protests on Tiananmen Square in Beijing and around the country. place, three decades ago.

The five-minute dramatization, published this week, tackles an extremely sensitive topic in China. The ruling Communist Party has never declared how many people have died in the crackdown and the discussion of the incident is censored on social media.

The video shows the photographer hiding behind Chinese-speaking policemen before taking a picture that now symbolizes the protests – the "man tank" – a protester standing in front of a convoy of tanks to block their passage. The video ends with the Leica logo.

The hashtag "Leica insulting China" was unveiled Thursday on the Chinese site Weibo, similar to Twitter, before being censored. Users have left hundreds of comments on Leica's official Weibo account criticizing the company for video.

"Get out of China, you're done," said a user.

Others hailed the video as bold before the 30th anniversary of the June 4 crackdown, but the majority of publications were removed from Chinese social media on Friday and the comment section of two of his most recent publications on Weibo has been deactivated.

Users were also prevented from posting messages using the English or Chinese name of Leica with warnings that they violated laws, regulations or guidelines of the Weibo community.

Leica has not responded to several calls and emails from Reuters who wanted to comment on the video, which included other dramatizations on news photography.

Leica spokeswoman Emily Anderson, quoted by Hong Kong's South China Morning Post, said the video was not an officially sanctioned marketing film commissioned by the firm.

"Leica Camera AG must therefore stand out from the content of the video and regret any misunderstanding or false conclusions that could have been drawn," she said by e-mail, stating that the company had taken measures to do not share the movie on Leica's social networks.

The video was created by the Brazilian advertising agency F / Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi and published on its verified Twitter account on April 16 with a tweet in Portuguese that read: "Inspired by the stories of photographers who spare no effort so that everyone can see the reality, Leica pays tribute to these brave professionals. "

Advertising websites such as Ads of the World have republished the video stating that it was created for Leica.

Some netizens have suggested that the video could put pressure on the Chinese telecom equipment supplier Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, which uses Leica lenses in its high-end flagship phones.

Huawei declined to comment, while F / Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi, who had previously produced videos for Leica, did not respond immediately to requests for comment.

Several foreign companies have been touched by addressing some issues that may provoke strong public reactions in China, including calls for boycotts.

Last year, the Chinese government and Internet users blamed companies ranging from Delta Air Lines to Muji for using the language used to describe Taiwan, an autonomous and democratic island that Beijing sees as a retrograde province.