Member of Provincial Parliament Mr. Mike
Pulu said, "I hope that one day Falun Gong practitioner can freely
practice the exercises at Tiananmen Square, just like many of you who
practice daily at Queen's Park (the seat of Provincial Parliament of
Ontario). For the world's people, that will be a great day."
(Clearwisdom.net) On Wednesday July 16, 2003, prior to the fourth anniversary of Jiang regime's persecution of Falun Gong in China, Toronto Falun Gong practitioners held a large public rally in front of Ontario's Parliament Buildings, calling for an end to the brutal persecution of Falun Gong in China, and calling for bringing Jiang to justice for launching and continuing the persecution.
Members of Provincial Parliament Mr. Mike Pulu and Mr. George Smith gave speeches at the rally to support Falun Gong. Mr. Mike Pulu had attended a press conference held last year the same day to support Falun Gong. At the rally on Wednesday, he said, "One day, we will see something happen in China, we will see people believe in kindness, and we will see the principle of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance taught by Master Li Hongzhi prevail in Chinese society."
After July 20, 1999, Mr. George Smith was the first MPP to stand up publicly to support Falun Gong in Ontario. He once requested all of his colleagues in the provincial parliament to condemn the persecution. Today, he spoke once again to call upon China to stop persecuting Falun Gong. A congratulatory letter from MPP Jerry Martinluke on behalf of provincial premier Eves and people in his precinct was also read at the event.
Attorney Joe Etian highly praised Dafa practitioners in his speech, saying that everything Dafa practitioners have done has changed history, and has enabled people with a sense of justice like him to join in the battle between good and evil. He said that he was fortunate to participate in the lawsuit against Chinese former leader Jiang last year filed with the International Court and UN Human Rights Committee Against Persecution and other organizations, because Jiang is the prime criminal who gave orders to suppress Falun Gong.
At the press conference, a Falun Dafa spokesperson reiterated that over the past four years of brutal persecution, Jiang's regime extended the persecution to overseas, in particular holding exhibitions in the Chinese Consulate General in Toronto to incite hatred toward Falun Gong practitioners. The practitioners hoped that the Canadian government could investigate the matter.
Toronto resident Ms. Zhang Li, former senior engineer at the headquarters of the Beijing Iron-Steel Design Institute, told a reporter, "On the morning of July 20th, 1999, I went to do the exercises, and there were few practitioners at the practice site. I was told that the police began arresting Falun Gong practitioners the previous night. I went to the Appeals Office, but two police cars stopped me at Xidan intersection. A policeman wearing a helmet twisted my hands behind my back and took me to the police station opposite Tiananmen Square. Later, I was taken to a bus and sent to Fengtai Stadium. On the way, I saw seven to eight armored cars driving from Zhongnanhai, and I also saw fully armed soldiers in helmets got out of the cars, carrying guns with bayonets. The government treated unarmed civilians as enemies."
Canadian Falun Gong practitioner Li Bo's mother Ms. Lu Xiuzhen is a retired, well-respected teacher. She was illegally detained in the notorious Masanjia Forced Labor Camp and remains there today.
Falun Gong practitioners called upon people from all walks of life to stand up to uphold justice. As of today, the Canadian government has helped secure the release of more than ten Falun Gong practitioners.
Spokesperson of the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong Mr. Yang Kaiwan presented an investigation report on China's persecution of Falun Gong. Information about China's use of one quarter of the nation's financial resources to persecute Falun Gong, in particular, drew the attention of MPs and media on hand.
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| A mock trial for Jiang's crimes | A public rally in front of the Ontario Provincial Parliament |
After the press conference, there was a mock trial for Jiang's crimes. Several Falun Gong practitioners acted as witnesses and explained the crimes Jiang has committed, why these crimes constitute genocide, and why the end of the persecution would be a great event in the world. A young mother, on behalf of Ms. Wang Lixuan and her eight-month son that were tortured to death in China, condemned Jiang's persecution of mothers and children. Another practitioner explained the facts of staged self-immolation on Tiananmen Square.
Ten media organizations came to cover the activity. The media included the largest and most influential national newspaper in Canada--The Globe and Mail, as well as the largest Chinese radio station in Canada.
In conjunction with the public rally, there was a one-week signature collection drive, requesting the Canadian government to stop Jiang's regime from extending its persecution of Falun Gong to Canada. The same day, there was a large-scale car parade. Practitioners were separated into three groups. They decorated their cars and paraded down several busy streets with many Chinese people. The activity was quite successful, as a lot of local residents got the chance to see the facts for themselves.
