Barrie newspaper: Falun Gong followers find big trouble in China

Perched on a dirty wooden platform in a small jail cell, Christine Loftus stared at the Chinese graffiti on the filthy walls. Knowing her brother had been arrested two months earlier for a similar protest in Tiananmen Square, and released virtually unharmed, the young Midhurst woman wasn't scared, she said.

"But it was a real wake up call for me," said the 22-year-old Brock University student from her home in Midhurst, Wednesday.

Deprived of food and water for 20-hours, the young Canadian said she had no idea what was going to happen after the arrest.

Her twin brother Jason had journeyed to Beijing in February to protest what he considers to be the persecution of the practice Falun Dafa. But what made two Midhurst teenagers take on a cause on the other side of the planet is hard for most Canadians to understand.

Raised in the Catholic school system, the twins first became interested in Falun Gong after attending a health conference at the Barrie Curling Club in 1998.

The teenagers' change in attitude impressed their mother, Mary, and she began to attend the exercise meetings with them.

But, even as a parent, she admits, it was hard for her and her husband when their children went to raise awareness in China.

"I slept on a chair next to the phone," Mary Loftus said. "It was very scary for me and I believe in their cause."

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He said he was actually relieved once he saw their arrests on TV because he knew they would become an international concern.

I was very disturbed. I tried to keep busy and not think of what was going on.

"It was almost like we were veterans when Christine did it," said Doug Loftus.

Falun Gong or Falun Dafa originated in China as a form of spiritual exercise, meditation and teachings rooted in ancient Chinese culture.

The Falun Gong newsletter says the practice has 100 million followers in 40 countries, including Canada, U.S. Australia, Europe and Asia. Both Canada's Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, and President George W. Bush have spoken in favour of the practice.

But, as popular as it was in China for the first seven years of the Falun Gong, the Chinese government outlawed the practice and quickly puts a halt to protesters, or practitioners.

Because the twins believe they shouldn't allow what they deem to be a peaceful practice quashed by the Chinese government, they began a Canadian awareness campaign. And while both were roughed up slightly in Beijing, they were basically well treated before they were released directly onto an airplane headed for home.