SCMP: China tells 35 to go & 35 Westerners expelled after Tiananmen Square protest

Westerners are surrounded by Chinese police officers and police vehicles in Tiananmen Square after unfurling a pro Falun Gong banner and sitting in a meditation position on Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2001. The group was later taken away and detained by police. Photo by Ng Han Guan (AP)

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Wednesday, November 21, 2001 China tells 35 to go

A group of 35 overseas Falun Gong followers were told to leave the mainland after staging a protest in Tiananmen Square yesterday. The group linked arms and sat in the lotus position in the square meditating [...] for the [group], which Beijing outlawed in July 1999. They were from 10 Western countries including the US, Canada, Germany and Australia.

Police moved in swiftly to remove the participants after the protest started. Some of the demonstrators unfurled yellow banners and proclaimed the virtues of Falun Gong.

Hundreds of onlookers appeared startled by the sudden protest. It was not clear last night when the group would have to leave China.

http://www.scmp.com/toppage/ZZZ9WND81UC.html

Wednesday, November 21, 2001 35 Westerners expelled after Tiananmen Square protest

AGENCIES

China has ordered 35 foreign followers of the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement to leave the country after they protested in Tiananmen Square yesterday against Beijing's [persecution] on the group.

[...]

It did not mention how long the 35 had before they were expected to leave. Police detained the group after they unfurled a yellow banner saying "Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance" in English and Chinese in the middle of the square at 2pm, according to witnesses and a Falun Gong statement. A statement from the protesters said they were from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Sweden, Switzerland, Britain and the United States - making it one of the biggest demonstrations by foreigners in the square.

As hundreds of Chinese looked on in surprise, police detained the Westerners as they chanted slogans in support of the banned Falun Gong [...].

The group, most in their 20s and 30s, had been talking among themselves for nearly an hour when they sat down just after 2pm in the lotus position with their eyes closed and their hands together as if in prayer.

"Purge the evil," some chanted in Chinese, a common Falun Gong [verse]. Police vans quickly encircled the group and uniformed officers began separating the ones whose arms were interlocked.

Group members - both men and women - resisted for a time before police officers managed to load the protesters into vans and drive off.

Authorities seemed to have received advance word that something was imminent; some moved into position at 2pm as if anticipating problems. When they made the arrests, they used none of the rougher tactics often employed in arresting Chinese followers of Falun Gong - which have included punches, facial kicks and beatings with police nightsticks.

Falun Gong says almost 300 followers have died in custody during the [persecution] since the group was outlawed in July 1999 and that many more have been tortured and abused. Thousands of followers have been sent to prisons and labour camps.

One demonstrator broke from the group briefly and ran around in circles near onlookers, wielding a banner in [...] yellow.

"America knows, China knows, the world knows! Falun Gong is good," the man said. Police stopped him soon afterwards.

There were no visible signs of tightened security in Tiananmen Square after the incident had been dealt with.

http://china.scmp.com/ZZZMIOD81UC.html