January 10, 2000

Despite official protest on behalf of the Chinese government, a group of Falun Dafa practitioners from across the state gathered at the Boone County Government Center to kick off a week celebrating the practice.

About 45 people attended demonstrations and informational sessions about the meditative and spiritual practice founded in 1992 by Li Hongzhi. Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong, is banned in China and is portrayed as a cult by Chinese Communist leaders. The practice uses five slow exercises that are geared toward channeling energy for the health benefit of the practitioner.

Falun Gong followers from Kansas City, Fulton, St. Louis and Moberly attended.

Presiding commissioner Don Stamper presented Columbia's Falun Gong group yesterday with the proclamation that Falun Dafa Week in Boone County runs through Sunday. The Chinese deputy consulate of Chicago contacted Stamper requesting that he rescind the proclamation and that the commission refrain from allowing the group use of the commission chambers for their events. Stamper refused on both points.

"This building, this state, this government, this country are built together on freedom," he told the group yesterday.

Practitioners in China are routinely arrested for doing the exercises in public. The government has accused followers of stealing top-secret government documents and has taken the position that the teachings of Falun Dafa are dangerous, even fatal.

The local group's founder, Chuan Lin, who denies the practice is a religion or a cult, said he was pleased with yesterday's turnout, which counted 10 new people among the group.

Judith Retsema, who heard of the event from friends, attended yesterday's sessions because of her interest in different cultures and their spiritual practices. "It is not a religion, it is not some kind of mind-control stuff," she said, acknowledging that she hadn't heard of the controversy surrounding the group. "It is rather a practice or meditation ... where one can feel one's own inner truth."