According to telephone reports from eyewitnesses in Beijing, many Falun Gong practitioners practiced their meditation exercises in Tiananmen square in the Chinese New Year's Eve (Feb. 5, 2000). Some of them raised banners with "Falun Dafa" and "Truth-Compassion-Forbearance". Police stationed in the square started to beat and arrest the practitioners as soon as they discovered any. There were bloodstains, clothes, and watches left on the ground. However, the practitioners have always been peaceful. They follow the teachings of Falun Dafa that "when beaten not to return the fist, when cursed not to return the word". (There had been numerous reports of brutal beating and torture of practitioners by the Chinese police before, but the Chinese government had always openly denied the facts.) After midnight, there were at least thee large buses drove away full of arrested practitioner, from which, it was estimated that over 1000 practitioners were arrested.

Practitioners converged to Tiananmen to perform the Falun Gong exercises as an expression that Falun Gong is a righteous practice in their hearts and the government ban is a serious mistake. In China, the nationwide suppressing of Falun Gong has been escalating. There have been more various slandering in the official media propaganda, arrests, torture, trials, heavy finds, and expulsions from schools and job positions. The Chinese public is sealed from western media reports and Falun Gong practitioners there are not allowed to have their voice heard. (It is reported that even news websites like CNN are widely block in China by the government.)