(Clearwisdom.net) Those who have been through the Cultural Revolution in China might be haunted by memories of green military uniforms, red arm bands, slogans shouted every day, and people living like puppets with no free will.
Thirty years later, people think that there must be freedom in China by now. However, for the October 1st holiday (Chinese Communist Party's National Day) martial law was enforced in Beijing and other large cities. The flying of kites, balloons, and lanterns was absolutely prohibited. One of my friends from another town told me, "On the day of the Autumn Festival, many people bought Kongming lanterns (sky lanterns) for good luck. However, the police made people turn them off or confiscated them. When people tried to use them after midnight, the police said, 'There is a curfew on! The curfew is on! Flying lanterns are not permitted.'"
For the sake of guaranteeing the security of October 1 activities, the CCP used various tactics to interfere with people's freedom of movement. The CCP, afraid that people would find out about the goodness of Falun Gong, utilized schools, government offices, and other work places to spread a rumor against Falun Gong and blaming a serious crime on Falun Gong. The CCP also told people to be aware of safety during holidays, and to reduce the amount of travel.
However, right after the National Day holidays, the Public Security Department stated on television that there was no such crime.
In Wugang City, Hunan Province, the emissions from a smelting plant caused elevated lead levels in the blood of more than 1,200 children, which ignited a protest from approximately a thousand people who took to the streets. The CCP dealt with the situation by dispatching several hundred police officers to suppress the demonstrators. They also asked hospitals to falsify test results and thereby cover up the truth. While the CCP was saying the protesters were Falun Gong practitioners and not parents of lead-poisoned children, Falun Gong practitioners were being arrested.
One villager said that he saw a CCP public notice on the Internet that said: "This matter was ignited by Falun Gong." Another person, Ms. Dai, said, "To tell the truth, what could we, as civilians, do? The government can say anything it wants to. I don't buy what they said. They try to connect everything to Falun Gong. In fact, the lead poisoning issue has nothing to do with Falun Gong. Those who know the truth have already torn up the CCP notices."
When the CCP blames Falun Gong for unpopular events, it seems they don't need to explain the problem, nor do they have to solve it. When the CCP persecutes Falun Gong, they persecute not only Falun Gong practitioners, but also all Chinese people. Whenever the CCP claims that you are a Falun Gong practitioner even if in fact you are not, you could lose your rights and freedoms.