(Clearwisdom.net) On March 22, 2004, the Students' Administrative Council (SAC) at University of Toronto unanimously passed a resolution to reaffirm their support of Falun Gong, and to express their support to the global efforts to bring the main perpetrator in the persecution of Falun Gong --Jiang Zemin to justice.
SAC is the largest university student union in Canada, which represents over 40,000 full-time undergraduate students at the University of Toronto. In this motion, SAC condemns the persecution of Falun Gong in China, which has violated the Chinese constitution and international laws. They also condemned the Chinese Consulate's interference and hate propaganda against Falun Gong in Canada to incite the Canadian people's hatred against their neighbors and colleagues who choose to practice Falun Gong and follow the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance. In this resolution, SAC express their support to the global efforts to bring the main perpetrator in the persecution of Falun Gong, Jiang Zemin, to justice. SAC also resolved that a copy of this resolution be forwarded the General-Secretary of United Nations; the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Canada and the Chinese Embassy and Chinese Consulates in Canada.
SAC has been supportive to Falun Gong in past few years and condemned the persecution of Falun Gong in China after the crackdown started. In 2001, they passed a resolution to support Falun Gong and condemned the persecution. After this resolution was publicized, SAC office received a letter with defamatory materials from the Chinese Consulate in Toronto to attack Falun Gong, similar to what the Chinese Consulate has done to various levels of government officials who have showed their support to Falun Gong and condemned the persecution. But SAC was not affected by such hate propaganda and in March of 2002 they passed another resolution to support Falun Gong and urged the Prime Minister of Canada to raise the Falun Gong issue at the upcoming UN Human Rights Commission. Now while the 2004 UN Human Rights Commission is going on in Geneva, SAC passed a third resolution to show their support. They expressed their concerns about hate inciting activities of the Chinese Consulate and Embassy in Canada, including putting defaming materials from China against Falun Gong into the school library, public library, local bookstores, etc, sending hate literature to various levels of Canadian government officials to defame Falun Gong and holding the hate display in the visa office of Chinese Consulate that is visited by 100+ people everyday. SAC also urge the Chinese government to immediately release all the Falun Gong practitioners that are illegally detained and tortured in prison, labor camps, mental hospitals and brainwashing classes.
The hate-inciting activities of the Chinese Consulate against Falun Gong are not only spread in local communities in Canada, but even extends to Canadian campuses. As reported in the cover page article entitled "Student council sticking up for Falun Gong" on January 15, 2004 by The Varsity -- one of the main campus newspapers at the University of Toronto, "U of T has been gaining attention from one of the least expected places-the Chinese Consulate. The story began two years ago when SAC passed a resolution to support the Falun Gong student club here at U of T." Besides the interference in Canadian schools, other hate inciting activities of the Chinese Consulates are also noted in the article that "hate literature is constantly being delivered to governmental agencies and to all levels of government such as city councillors, MPs and mayors who show support to Falun Gong." "A December 2003 report produced by the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (WOIPFG) identified numerous reports of such kind," and "In February 2000, one Member of Parliament was 'physically and verbally harassed inside the Parliament building.' Rob Anders, MP for Calgary West, wore a Falun Gong T-shirt while attending a Chinese New Year's celebration hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa and found himself surrounded by a group of men who started to harass him." The article mentioned the hate display in the visa office of Chinese Consulate that hundreds of Canadians visit everyday, that "the Chinese consulate located at 240 St. George St., Toronto was displaying propaganda posters. It reported that anti-Falun Gong posters were put up on the walls of the corridors where visitors would line up and inevitably read." As the article stated, despite these attempts of the Chinese Consulate to incite hate against Falun Gong, many Canadian government officials and organizations just as SAC remain firm in their support of Falun Gong, "Despite these cases of assault and harassment, many people, including many high-level government officials in Canada, remain firm in their support for Falun Gong. A booklet compiled in 2000 by practitioners of Falun Gong in celebration of Falun Dafa Week is evidence of such support. In it are more than a dozen congratulatory letters and proclamations from Canadian dignitaries and honoured officials including Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, then deputy prime minister Herb Gray, then minister of justice and attorney-general of Canada A. Anne McLellan and various premiers and members of parliament."
"Falun Gong represents a peaceful movement that is non-violent and benevolent in nature. SAC supports all peaceful movements which many U of T students are part of. " SAC's Vice President Student Life, Dylan Rae, who presented this motion to the council, told the Varsity reporter. After the SAC council meeting on Monday, Dylan said he thought some people may ask the question that we have passed resolutions to support Falun Gong and why should the SAC pass another one. Then he would tell them that the persecution in China still continues and one day they don't stop the persecution, one day SAC should not stop reaffirming our support. But no one raised this question on Monday's council meeting and the resolution was unanimously passed. Dylan was recently re-elected as the Vice President. He told practitioners that he would be happy to continue working with practitioners to support Falun Gong and help stop the persecution in China and in Canada.
Falun Gong is winning more and more attention and support on campus. In November of 2003, Graduate Student Union, --the graduate counterpart of SAC that represent 11,000 graduate students at University of Toronto also passed a resolution to support Falun Gong and condemn the persecution of Falun Gong in China. Falun Gong practitioners at University of Toronto feel happy to see more and more kind-hearted people know the truth and make the righteous decision to support the justice and kindness, they are also looking forward to more cooperation with these supportive student groups. After Prof. Kunlun Zhang started the legal case to sue Jiang Zemin in Canada, the postcard campaign, petition campaign have also started from east coast to west coast of Canada to support the lawsuit. Moreover, many universities across Canada are planning to hold mock trials of Jiang Zemin in the court of morality and conscience. Falun Gong practitioners at University of Toronto also plan to cooperate with SAC and other student unions in these efforts to raise awareness and stop the persecution in China and hate propaganda in Canada, and support global efforts to bring Jiang to justice.
The SAC resolution reads as follows:
STUDENTS' ADMINISTRATIVE COUNCIL RESOLUTION
Whereas, Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) is a traditional practice of body and mind based on the universal principle of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance", and is commended for its devotion to public service and commitment to improving health in mind, body and spirit;
Whereas, all Falun Dafa activities, including classes and conferences, are offered by volunteers and are opened to public free of charge;
Whereas, the 4 year long persecution of Falun Dafa in China severely violates the fundamental human rights protected in Chinese constitutional law, and has caused at least 865 deaths of practitioners (Note: this is the death toll when this motion was first drafted, and now the reports from China show that at least 918 practitioners have been persecuted to death); and
Whereas, the Chinese Embassy and consulates in Canada repeatedly sent defamatory and contradictory materials against Falun Dafa to schools, libraries and government offices, which is unacceptable interference with our supporting Falun Dafa practitioners' rights of practice, and serves to excite hatred of Falun Dafa;
BE IT RESOLVED that the SAC condemn the persecution of Falun Gong in China, and urge Chinese government to release all Falun Gong practitioners who have been illegally detained, tortured, raped and persecuted in prison, detention centers, labor camps, mental hospitals and brainwash centers in China;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the SAC writes a letter to the Foreign Minister and Toronto City Council to urge them to stop the hate propaganda being spread at University of Toronto and in Toronto;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the SAC sends a letter to the Prime Minister of Canada, urging him to speak up for an immediate end to the murder, torture, abuse, and other cruel and inhuman treatment of practitioners of Falun Gong in China and help to continue to rescue Canadians' family members who are illegally jailed and persecuted in China for practicing Falun Gong;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the SAC supports efforts to bring Jiang Zemin to justice in the courts of morality, the courts of conscience and the courts of law for his crimes in genocide, crimes against humanity and crimes of torture.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to The Honorable Kofi Annan, General-Secretary of United Nations; The Honorable Prime Minister of Canada; The Honorable Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese Embassy and Chinese Consulates in Canada.
