On April 21, students from Peking University, China University of Political Science and Law, and other schools launched class strikes to protest against the police's brutality in beating students. On the same day, Peking University students distributed leaflets in Tian'anmen Square, stating the newly-decided "Seven Demands" petition:

  1. Re-evaluate Comrade Hu Yaobang's merits and demerits.
  2. Severely punish the culprits who had beaten students and the general public; require those responsible to apologize to the victims and make amends.
  3. Promulgate the Press Law as soon as possible; allow private newspapers to run; and affirm press freedom.
  4. Require state leaders to disclose to the entire nation their property holdings and income and those of their family members; investigate and punish profiteering by government employees; and announce all details.
  5. Require leaders of relevant agencies to formally review and report to the people mistakes that have been made in education policies; hold those who committed the mistakes responsible; significantly increase education funding; improve the status of teachers.
  6. Re-evaluate the Oppose Bourgeois Liberalization campaign; fully vindicate all citizens who have been wronged in the process.
  7. The current democratic, patriotic movement must be reported on fairly and truthfully.

The Preparatory Committee also stated that, if the government tried to sweep the above demands under the rug, the Committee would call on workers, farmers, intellectuals, and other people from all walks of life to support the demonstrations.

In his book "A Tiananmen Journal", Feng Congde pointed out that neither the Seven Demands of the initial petition nor the Preparatory Committee's 11 Guiding Principles mentioned the phrase "profiteering by government employees"; it was only after students had extensive contact with the general public in the marches that the phrase "Down with Official Profiteering" came up. This symbolizes that the movement was gradually moving from academia to the broader society.

References: Zhang Wanshu, "The Big Bang of History: A Complete Record of the June 4th Incident"; Feng Congde, "A Tiananmen Journal"