Experiences outside the Chinese Consulate in Manchester, UK, on the Eve of Chinese New Year

On the morning of the 23rd January 2001, the eve of the Chinese New Year, practitioners from Manchester and the midlands of UK, gathered peacefully outside the Chinese consulate of Manchester to appeal against the ban on Falun Gong and the human rights abuses of practitioners in China. They displayed the usual array of colorful banners and performed the five sets of exercises. At about 11.30am, 4 practitioners began the short walk from the entrance gate to the consulate, with the purpose of presenting a letter requesting the ban to be lifted and for the opportunity to have a peaceful dialogue. When the practitioners had gone halfway towards the consulate, a staff member appeared and told the practitioners to leave, saying that their letter would not be accepted. As practitioners tried to gently persuade him to accept the letter, and that they meant no harm, a consul rushed out of the consulate building. After glancing up at a western practitioner of some stature, he turned his attention to a smaller Chinese practitioner and pushed him. He then grabbed the letter and tore it up. Remonstrating irrationally-heated, he accused the practitioners of obstructing the work of the consulate, and of failing to follow the requirements of "Ren" (Tolerance). Practitioners pointed out that he was not fulfilling his official role in refusing to accept the letter, and that his anger was unnecessary and unbecoming of his role as a representative of China. Fortunately the whole incident was recorded on the camcorder held by one of our practitioners. After we were pushed out of the gate, the staff from the Consulate seemed to realize this and tried to cover the camcorder with their hands outside the consulate area, as they were afraid of being exposed to the public. It was a clear contrast between the Falun Gong practitioners peaceful action and the rude and forceful manner of the officials from the Chinese Consulate. Before this event we had contacted the local police and informed them about what we were going to do. They were very pleased to give us permission and told us that there was no need for them to police us. However, despite the rude actions made against the practitioners, the Chinese consulate reported to the police officer and accused us of interfering in their normal work. As a result, only one police officer came to the site and quietly stood in a corner to fulfil his duty. After we finished the demonstration, one of our practitioners approached him and thanked him for being present. The police officer smiled and said: "They (the Chinese Consulate) certainly need a good dose of democracy". Jan. 26, 2001