Commemorating the 2nd Anniversary of April 25th 1999 at UC Berkeley, California

April 25^th, 1999, marked the day the world became aware of a spiritual practice involving exercise and meditation, as well as high moral principles, known as Falun Gong or Falun Dafa. On this day, over 10,000 Falun Gong practitioners went to Beijing to make individual appeals to stop oppressive actions against the group in the nearby city of Tianjin. Falun Gong had been under increased suppression for about 3 years prior to the Tianjin incident, where practitioners went to appeal for their constitutional rights to have a legal environment to practice as well as freedom of conscience, assembly, and speech. Cal Human Rights Campaign, a student group at UC Berkeley, sponsored a panel discussion as well as a candlelight vigil at UC Berkeley in order to commemorate the 2^nd anniversary of April 25^th, 1999, as well as to explain to the public the reason behind the April 25^th appeal. Both events were quite successful and very well received by the public. Panel speakers included a well-known UC Berkeley Law Scholar, Professor Berring, who writes on and studies Chinese law. He brought the Chinese constitution with him and mentioned that it is not that China does not have the law. They do. In fact, Professor Berring mentioned that in theory, the Chinese constitution provides its citizens with more freedoms than the US Constitution. It is just a matter of whether they abide by it. Citing different historical periods, he mentioned that the Chinese government has never trusted its own citizens. The crackdown itself had nothing to do with what Falun Gong is. In fact, Mr. Berring said, many scholars had compared the crack down on Falun Gong with the Great Cultural Revolution due to their similarities. Two Falun Gong practitioners also testified about their suffering in Chinese jails simply because they wanted to petition to the government that Falun Gong is innocent. Their unfortunate experiences showed how basic Falun Gong practitioners' human rights had been deprived. The audiences were moved to tears during their vivid accounts. Dr. Zhang, a postdoctoral fellow at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab presented a summary of the similarities between the current persecution of Falun Gong and the Cultural Revolution in China from 30 years ago. She further elaborated Professor Berring's point regarding how the present crack down has nothing to do with the nature of Falun Gong. "When you look at the history of People's Republic of China, it becomes clear that there has never been a long period of time during which the ruling party did not initiate a campaign against a group of people regardless of who they are. It is simply driven by fear of losing their ruling power." A short "self-immolation" analysis video was also shown to show the manipulations done by Jiang's regime against Falun Gong. Dr. Centurion, a Stanford medical doctor presented the audience the basic principles of Falun Gong, as well as a short video showing the 5 sets of exercises. He illustrated using his medical expertise the connection between one's mind and body and it's corresponding relationship to health and well-being. Mr. Tsaggaris briefly discussed the negative impact human rights violations would bring to the overall business climate in China. The event ended with a short documentary film showing the current persecution against Falun Gong practitioners in China. The film again brought tears in the audience's eyes. Afterwards, many people asked questions and shown their support in stopping the brutal persecution in China. In parallel with the panel discussion a candlelight vigil took place in front of the UC Berkeley main library. Over 100 Falun Gong practitioners quietly did their meditation practice at the vigil. A screen projector was showing the same short documentary on human rights violations in China. The film had been shown repeatedly over and over. Many people stopped and watched the tape, while afterwards, inquiring for more information. There were 2 students who must have watched the tape over and over many times. Even when the event was over, they would still not leave and kept asking how can they help more the situation in China (after they signed the human rights violation petition). In the end they were given information on the practice group at Berkeley, which they are interested in attending. Many non-practitioners have learned more about Falun Gong and the truth of the April 25^th, 1999, peaceful assembly during this event, part of an effort to clarify the truth with wisdom to people worldwide. California practitioners April 26, 2001