(Minghui.org) Falun Gong practitioners in San Francisco rallied in Chinatown on June 16, 2012 to call attention to recent incident in which thugs, suspected of being hired by Chinese authorities, physically assaulted local Falun Gong practitioners. The practitioners were holding banners, setting up posters with photos and information, and clarifying the facts of the persecution to passersby.

 
San Francisco Falun Gong practitioners rally in Chinatown to protest a Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-incited attack on local Falun Gong practitioners.

 
San Francisco Falun Gong practitioners rally in Chinatown to protest a CCP-incited attack on local Falun Gong practitioners.

Falun Gong practitioners call on the CCP to immediately stop the persecution of Falun Gong.

Falun Gong practitioners call on the CCP to immediately stop the persecution of Falun Gong.

Falun Gong practitioners call for the attackers to be brought to justice

Passersby watch the video of the thug assaulting practitioners

Falun Gong practitioners protest and hold posters in Chinatown

Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Da Fang speaks about the assault

Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Wang speaks about the assault

At 10:00 a.m., the practitioners did the Falun Gong exercises together. Afterwards, a rally was held to expose an alleged assault. According to the practitioners, a thug hired by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) beat practitioners Mr. Wang and Ms. Da on June 10, 2012. The man repeatedly hit Mr. Wang’s head. Ms. Da, who tried to fend off the man, was injured on the face.

Mr. Wang learned Falun Dafa with his mother in China when he was 10. In 1999, after the CCP launched the illegal crackdown on Falun Gong, his mother was sentenced to prison terms twice and brutally tortured when she was in prison.

“Though I am safe in the U.S., I know there are many more practitioners in China whose lives are in danger, including my mother,” said Wang.

Wang said that after he got to the U.S., he realized that the CCP’s lies have been spread around the world. “The CCP uses its overseas influence to attack Falun Gong practitioners and incite hatred toward Falun Gong.”

Ms. Da was tortured in China for her belief. Her sister, who was also a practitioner, was unlawfully incarcerated ten years ago when she went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong. She eventually died as a result of torture. She was in her early thirties. Ms. Da’s brother has been imprisoned for 12 years for telling people about the persecution.

Ms. Da came to the U.S. last year. She said, “Today I am able to tell the truth about my sister who died and my brother who is still in prison because of the persecution. I will not stop raising awareness about the CCP’s brutal persecution. However, I was deeply grieved on June 10 when I was assaulted for my belief in Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance. I was assaulted by a gang of thugs in a country founded on human rights, democracy, and freedom. Every city official and resident should think about this issue seriously.”

Ms. Da continued, “The day after I was assaulted, I felt terrible while I was holding up a poster on the street. I could not stop thinking about my sister, and my brother, who is still being tortured at the moment. I thought about how tens of thousands of practitioners in China could be arrested any time for their beliefs. I remembered how the police in China beat me. I just could not believe that I would be assaulted by my fellow countrymen in the U.S. I could not help but cry at the moment. A passerby with a sense of justice came to me and said, ‘Please don’t cry. We know Falun Gong practitioners are good people. It was those who work in the Chinese Consulate who hired bad guys to attack you. We are all on your side.’”

Reactions From the Public

A passerby named Mr. Chen has resided in the U.S. for more than 20 years. He believes that it was wrong for the man to assault the practitioners, “There is freedom of speech in the U.S. Everyone has the right to express their views.”

Mike from the state of Oregon was shocked after learning about the assault. He said, “We must do something about it. This is the U.S., a country of freedom. People here have the freedom of speech and association. I know about Falun Gong and I support you.”

Stacy and April from northern California said that the thugs involved in the attack should be punished by law. “We are definitely against the persecution. The brutal torture of Falun Gong practitioners in China must be stopped.” They told the practitioners that they would tell everyone they knew about the persecution.