As the one-year anniversary of the Chinese Governments crackdown on Falun Gong approached, Paris practitioners placed a number of photo and poster displays in Paris' 13th district and other districts where there are a large number of Chinese residents. They also handed out a lot of Falun Dafa introductory materials explaining the truth about Falun Gong. All these activities were conducted with the full permission from the Paris Police Headquarters. When presented with the truth, all people, whether French or Chinese, felt that the persecution of Falun Gong was groundless and wrong. At times, large crowds gathered in front of the posters. Many people went up the practitioners to ask for Falun Gong material in order to understand it better. Especially for those Chinese people who had only heard the one-sided, negative, propaganda from the Chinese government, they realized the truth is not the view being presented by the Chinese government. They saw the pictures of what happened to Zhao Xin, a 32-year old college professor, who was beaten so severely that a number of her vertebrae were fractured, causing her to become totally paralyzed. Upon seeing this, people could not help but to shake their heads saying, "How could a government treat one of its own citizens this way, just because she wanted to practice Falun Gong outdoors?"
On July 20, the France Falun Dafa Association obtained permission to hold a group practice and conduct a peaceful demonstration near the Chinese Embassy in Paris. That same afternoon, two Chinese embassy officials paid a visit to the Paris restaurant where a practitioner named Mr. Wu works. They sat down at a table and lavishly ordered so many dishes that they filled the entire table. Then they asked Mr. Wu whether he was a Falun Gong practitioner and what were the benefits of Falun Gong. Mr. Wu explained his personal experience and told them how he, and his family members, improved both physically and spiritually. Before he began to practice Falun Gong, Mr. Wu was so ill that he could only work while standing on one leg, and kneeling with the other leg on something. After he began to practice Falun Gong, he not only could stand on both legs, he now just needs about 4 or 5 hours of sleep per night to feel fully rested. He also introduced Falun Gong to the two embassy officials, and said he could teach them if they wanted to learn. Upon hearing this, the two officials pleasant conversation turned more direct and they asked him pointedly whether he planned to join the group practice near the embassy that afternoon. They made veiled threats and told him that he would be responsible for any consequences stemming from his actions.
The Chinese government has not fully been able to claim success in its groundless persecution of Falun Gong, in China. Now these two officials decided to use their threatening scare tactics in France, where peoples rights and freedoms are protected. In Paris, they behaved as if they were still in Beijing, doing anything they want to do and getting away with it. Mr. Wu told the two officials without any hesitation: I am going to participate in this afternoon's activities. I am doing this not only because I am a Falun Gong practitioner, but have the obligation to tell the truth of Falun Gong to the Chinese government. I am also doing this because I really do want the best for China.
Meanwhile, the France Falun Dafa Association notified the Foreign Ministry of France and the Paris Police Headquarters of the incident. The police arrived to investigate the matter, and told the practitioners to call them right away if similar things happened again.
On the morning of August 6, Mr. Wu went to open the restaurant and realized it had been burglarized. The glass front door was smashed into pieces. The entire restaurant was turned upside down, and everything was a big mess. The strange thing was that the burglar took no money or goods. There were a lot of expensive wines and liquors in the restaurant, but they were not touched, and even the cash register was left alone. However, all of the Falun Dafa material displayed in the restaurant was scattered all over the place. First came the verbal threat, now the restaurant was vandalized. Are these events really just a coincidence?
On the afternoon of August 7, another incident took place. That afternoon, just like every weekend, several practitioners went to the 13th district to display Falun Dafa material, and inform people about the practice of Falun Gong and the truth of what is taking place in China. There were two Chinese people and a tall Frenchman seen together near the display. They were talking in low voices and gesturing back and forth. Suddenly, the Frenchman rushed toward the display, pushed the display stand to the ground, and smashed two posters. By the time the police came, he was long gone. The police are currently conducting an investigation over this matter.
People cannot help but ask: why are some people so hostile to practitioners who are simply following the principle of "Truthfulness, Benevolence, and Forbearance?" Why are they so afraid of the truth? In light of the facts, isn't it easy to see who is righteous and who is evil?
Falun Dafa Practitioners in France, August 7, 2000
