Liu Yunshan Encounters Protests Throughout Visit to Ireland

(Minghui.org) Liu Yunshan, a member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Politburo Standing Committee and secretary of the CCP Central Committee, visited Ireland from June 15 to 17, 2014, the third stop on his four-state visit to Europe. As former head of the 610 Office and former director of the CCP's Propaganda Department, Liu is one of the main perpetrators responsible for the brutal persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China. At every stop in Ireland, Liu encountered protests and demands to bring him to justice.

Liu Yunshan actively carried out former Chinese president Jiang's persecution policy as head of the 610 Office and caused the deaths of thousands of innocent Falun Gong practitioners. The World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (WOIPFG) issued a “Notice to Investigate the Involvement in the Persecution of Falun Gong by Liu Yunshan” on June 11, 2014.

As the director of Propaganda Department from 2002 to 2012, Liu actively coordinated the CCP's hate campaigns to justify the persecution of Falun Gong. For example, he called the confiscation of Falun Gong truth-clarification materials “a firm attack on the penetration of hostile forces” in January 2010.

Falun Gong practitioners hold banners along the road as Liu visits the Industrial Development Authority in Ireland

Liu Yunshan and his delegation visited the Industrial Development Authority (IDA) around 11a.m. on June 16. Falun Gong practitioners were waiting at the front door with huge banners reading “Falun Dafa Is Good” and “Bring Liu Yunshan to Justice.”

Irish journalist and author Mr. Eamonn Fingleton happened to pass the protest. He learned about the persecution from Falun Gong practitioners and expressed concern, wondering if the CCP would retaliate against the protesters. He stayed until the end and was very impressed with the peacefulness of the protest. Mr. Fingleton is a former editor for the Financial Times and Forbes and the author of In the Jaws of the Dragon.

At departure time, Liu Yunshan's motorcade left from the front door, but Liu himself left through the dumpster alley in the back of the building.

Practitioners' “Bring Liu Yunshan to Justice” banner at the entrance to Powerscourt House and Gardens.

Liu visited Powerscourt House and Gardens, a famous tourist destination, on the afternoon of June 16. Practitioners had arrived early and displayed the banner “Bring Liu Yunshan to Justice” at the entrance.

Practitioners asked a police officer if he would deliver a letter to Liu for them. The officer said he probably would be able to give it to Liu's assistant. They gave him the WOIPFG investigation notice and an open letter from the Human Rights Law Foundation.

Whenever they saw a Chinese face, members of Liu's delegation looked nervously at the police officer. When Liu entered the garden, two practitioners appeared in front of him and cried, “Bring Liu Yunshan to justice! Falun Dafa is good!” “Stop the persecution of Falun Gong!” Liu and his delegation were visibly shaken.

Practitioners hold banners in front of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

When Liu entered the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade through the back door, he didn't expect to find Falun Gong practitioners waiting for him there. The back alley was so narrow that Liu's motorcade got stuck, and he and his delegation had to sit in the car as practitioners reminded them: “Falun Dafa is good!” “Stop the persecution of Falun Gong!” “Bring Liu Yunshan to justice!”

Members of Liu's delegation observe Falun Gong practitioners' protest from the second floor of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Practitioners set up a long row of banners and display boards detailing the persecution of Falun Gong across the street from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. It was rush hour, and many passersby asked for a copy of the WOIPFG's investigation notice. A practitioner read the notice aloud through a loudspeaker. Some members of Liu's delegation watched from a second floor window, some from the front door.

Fearful of any encounter with Falun Gong practitioners, Liu's delegation asked the police to keep them away. The police were fair but also did their best for the protesters. One policeman asked practitioners many questions, wondering if Liu was truly a former Propaganda Department director. When he found out that this was indeed a fact, he remarked that such a title is reminiscent of Hitler-era Nazis.

As Liu's motorcade headed to Ballsbridge Hotel at the end of the day, practitioners and their banners were waiting for him across the street. The demonstration continued throughout the night. Many passersby were touched by their determination and saluted them. Some took pictures and spread the information online.

Practitioners protest against Liu Yunshan at the Department of the Taoiseach.

Liu was greeted with the same reminders when he entered the Department of the Taoiseach around noon on June 17. Despite the heat, practitioners sat outside to protest. Their tenacious resolve drew the attention of media and passersby.

Media photographers take pictures of a Falun Gong practitioner.

Brian Lawless, a Press Association reporter, took pictures of practitioners and asked for a copy of their press announcement.

According to the “Notice to Investigate the Involvement in the Persecution of Falun Gong by Liu Yunshan, former director of the CCP Propaganda Department,” released on June 11 by WOIPFG: “Liu was the deputy director of the CCP Central Department of Propaganda from 1993 to 2002. Beginning in 1997, Liu also held the position of director of the CCP Central Office of Civilization. From October 2002 to November 2012, Liu was the director of the Department of Propaganda... Liu controlled the nation’s propaganda machine to slander Falun Fong with lies, which stirred up hatred against Falun Gong in China, as well as in the international community, paving the path for Jiang Zemin to intensify the persecution... Countless numbers of Falun Gong practitioners were unlawfully detained and imprisoned, tortured and sentenced, resulting in massive injuries, disabilities, and deaths; untold numbers of practitioners have died as a result of having their organs harvested while they were still alive.”