February 11, 2006 Saturday

Anchors: Jim Avila

Reporters: Brian Rooney (San Francisco, CA USA)

(Off-camera) Back here at home, final preparations are being made for America's oldest and largest Chinese New Year's parade. This is the Chinese Year of the Dog. But in San Francisco, it can be called the year of the dog fight. Normally one of the most tolerant cities in America, San Francisco is in the midst of a bitter disagreement about who should be allowed to march in tonight's annual parade. As ABC's Brian Rooney reports, the Falun Gong, a religious group outlawed by China, has been banned from the festivities.

BRIAN ROONEY (ABC NEWS)

(Voiceover) The Chinese New Year's parade in San Francisco is supposed to be an annual celebration of culture. You might expect that to include representatives of Falun Gong, the spiritual movement that may have as many as 100 million followers.

SHERRY ZHANG (FALUN GONG PRACTITIONER)

It's a spiritual practice, it's a faith, and it's a self-improvement practice.

BRIAN ROONEY (ABC NEWS)

(Voiceover) But Falun Gong is not being allowed to march. Falun Gong got its start only in 1992 and grew quickly. By 1999, the Chinese Communist government denounced [and brutally persecuted it]. Members have been arrested, tortured, even executed.

BRIAN ROONEY (ABC NEWS)

(Off-camera) The Falun Gong claim they are persecuted in the US, as well as China. One of their newspapers this week feature a story of their Atlanta website operator who was severely beaten in his home and his computers were stolen.

BRIAN ROONEY (ABC NEWS)

(Voiceover) Falun Gong and at least one city official say that the Chinese chamber of commerce here in San Francisco excluded Falun Gong under pressure from the Chinese government.

CHRIS DALY (SAN FRANCISCO BOARD OF SUPERVISORS)

Mainland China has significant influence here in San Francisco and other major American cities. And it's not just me saying it. The United States Congress, in a concurrent resolution, stated that.

[...]

BRIAN ROONEY (ABC NEWS)

(Voiceover) Falun Gong has sued to be included in future parades. They say they have to be the voice of freedom here in the US for people who have no voice in China. Brian Rooney, ABC News, San Francisco.