(Clearwisdom.net) On Saturday March 22, 2008, Falun Gong practitioners in the UK, along with supporters, held a press conference at the Chinese Embassy in London to strongly protest the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) recent intensifying of the persecution of Falun Gong in the name of the Olympics. Practitioners called upon the British government to see through the evil nature of the CCP and support justice. They also called upon the international community to stop the CCP's trampling of human rights and the persecution of Falun Gong.
UK Falun Gong practitioners protest the CCP persecution in front of the Chinese Embassy
At the Embassy, practitioners held eye-catching banners in Chinese and English, "Strongly Protesting the CCP's Mass Arrests of Falun Gong Practitioners in the Run-up to the Olympics," "Falun Gong Practitioners are Being Tortured to Death in China," and "The World Needs Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance." The hour-long press conference drew attention from the local public as well as the media. During the conference, someone within the Embassy took photos and recorded the gathered crowd for long periods of time through an Embassy window, an action typical of the despicable tactics employed by the CCP.
Escalation of the Falun Gong Persecution Shows the Evil Nature of the CCP
UK Falun Gong spokesperson Helen first reminded people to pay attention to the recent escalation of the persecution, "Since July 20, 1999, the CCP has subjected Falun Gong practitioners to an atrocious persecution - state[-sanctioned] terrorism. International society had hoped that hosting the Olympics this year would give the CCP authorities an opportunity to improve human rights. The CCP, however, not only did not improve its appalling human rights record, but also intensified the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners and their families in the run up to the Olympics, targetting to eliminate Falun Gong before August 2008. According to data published by the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (WOIPF) in March 2008, the CCP's mass arrests of Falun Gong practitioners in the name of the Olympics is nationwide and systematic, amounting to a new round of escalated persecution. From January 1, 2008 to March 11, 2008, 1,878 Falun Gong practitioners were arrested across 29 provinces, cities and autonomous regions in mainland China. As such, we urgently call upon the international community to stop the persecution together."
Ms. Chen, who recently came from China, commented that the CCP intensified the persecution of Falun Gong, which it started almost nine years ago, in the run up to the Olympics. She said that many practitioners' lives are in danger. Recently when she called China, she was told that many practitioners in China are followed by the authorities and are in dire situations. In order to maintain a so-called "stable" society under its totalitarian rule, the CCP wantonly persecutes religious followers, including Falun Gong practitioners. "We protest here and call for a stop to the CCP regime's persecution of Falun Gong. It's hard for practitioners in China to speak up in the face of life-threatening danger under the CCP's evil pressure. We overseas practitioners have opportunities to clarify the truth and expose the persecution in a peaceful environment. We need to let the whole world know about the bloody persecution of innocent Chinese citizens behind the CCP's Olympics halo. We hope that the international community will not be deceived by the halo and together will stop the persecution."
Non-governmental Organization Calls Upon the British Government to Cancel the Olympic Torch Relay that will Arrive in London
John Dee, vice president of the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong, said in a speech, "We are less than five months away from the Beijing Olympics in August 2008. In mainland China the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners is intensifying. The number of practitioners arrested or tortured is on the rise on a daily basis, which makes it worse for hundreds of thousands of practitioners in China and their families. The CCP attempts to stamp out any perceived 'threat,' and wantonly arrests practitioners in the name of guaranteeing a successful Olympics."
Mr. Dee called upon the British government and international society to act righteously and immediately. "China's human rights violations in recent months have already attracted attention from the international community. The Olympic torch will arrive in London early next month. We ask the Brown government to cancel any planned ceremony so as to send a clear signal to the Chinese government: The CCP must stop its persecution of dissidents and followers of different faiths. We also call upon other countries to cancel their plans to welcome the Beijing Olympic torch. Together let's apply pressure to urge the CCP authorities to give Chinese citizens the rights they deserve."
Falun Gong Practitioners Call for an Immediate Stop to the Persecution
Having learned about the intensified persecution in China, practitioners in the UK have worried a great deal about the safety of fellow practitioners in mainland China. Those who were subjected to the evil party's persecution themselves took it even closer to heart.
Ms. Jiang, who was persecuted for nearly two years in a forced labor camp, spoke at the press conference. She said, "The CCP intensified the persecution of Falun Gong in the run up to the Olympics through mass arrests. There were also instances where arrested practitioners were tortured to death within a few days, which is horrific indeed." She called for an immediate stop to the persecution.
After the press conference, Ms. Annie Young, who was also persecuted in a labor camp for two years, was interviewed. She said that a large number of arrests and abductions are happening all across China in the run up to the Olympics. It seems as if the persecutor is going mad. Annie spoke with a practitioner in Beijing last week, who told her anxiously that every practitioner around her was arrested recently.
Recalling the persecution she suffered in a Chinese forced labor camp, Annie said sadly, "The torture was done mentally and physically. It is very difficult to recover from mental torture." She is very worried about the safety of practitioners inside China.
The CCP Will Not Succeed in its Evil Aim of Persecuting Falun Gong
An older British practitioner, Robert Gibson, also experienced the CCP's persecution first hand. For his unwavering participation in the silent vigil in front of the Chinese Embassy in London, Robert was placed on the CCP's blacklist. In late 2002, he traveled to Beijing to clarify the truth of Falun Gong to the Chinese government and citizens. Soon after he arrived in Beijing, however, he was taken away from his hotel, illegally detained for twenty hours, and illegally interrogated for eight hours.
Knowing very well how evil the CCP persecution could be, Mr. Gibson was very concerned about the arrests. He felt, however, that the escalation of persecution is done out of fear. He said, "The CCP is afraid of Falun Gong because it is afraid of the truth, afraid that Falun Gong dares to speak the truth. Communism has been defeated. The CCP regime has lost its legitimacy. It must silence any different voice for fear of losing control. Meanwhile practitioners who believe in Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance will not give in to its brutal suppression, which makes it extremely fearful." Robert also believed that Falun Gong's belief in Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance follows the god-revering traditional Chinese culture while the evil Communism propagates atheism. This is another important reason why the CCP persecutes Falun Gong.
Robert firmly believes that evil will not win over goodness, and the CCP will not succeed in its evil aim of persecuting Falun Gong.
More and More British People are Learning the Truth
This past weekend was the Easter long weekend. Passersby that day received clear information conveyed by Falun Gong practitioners. Many of those who learned the truth signed a petition calling for an end to the persecution.
Inspired by the atmosphere of the press conference, a British woman named Jenny took out her camera to record the moving moment. When asked whether she knew about Falun Gong, she replied emotionally that she knew about the persecution. She said that she had just returned from China. The situation there was shocking. She discovered that people still live in fear. Wherever she went, she saw a lot of soldiers in Tibet, in Beijing and on Tiananmen Square. Jenny said, "The situation was horrible, really horrible. Everyone in the world should know about this." She said that in her opinion, "peaceful protests are effective. I believe many British have already learned the truth."
Mesut Turkan, a German citizen who is studying in London, stopped at the press conference to learn the truth. He felt very sad about the Falun Gong practitioners' suffering. He said, "I think everyone should learn the truth. Everyone has the right to uphold his or her own belief. A government should guarantee the freedom of belief of its citizens."
Category: Rallies & Protests
