(Clearwisdom.net) According to an article on the Minghui website (Chinese version of Clearwisdom.net) dated June 30, China's Premier Wen Jiabao led a delegation to visit Germany on June 27 and 28, 2011. On June 28, Falun Gong practitioners submitted 57,000 signatures to Germany's Chancellor Merkel to express the public's concern regarding the persecution of Falun Gong and to stop the organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The signatures were collected during an information sharing event organized by Falun Gong practitioners. It was raining that day, so in order to keep the information placards and petition forms dry, practitioners covered them up with clear plastic sheets. Still, the forms were rained on when people uncovered the plastic sheets to sign. As practitioners maintained an unwavering spirit in spite of the rain, many German people signed the petition to express their anti-persecution sentiment.
For Germany's Chancellor, these 57,000 signatures are a clear message representing the German people's condemnation of the persecution. Every signature was solemnly received upon hearing and understanding the facts of the persecution. All 57,000 signatures represented the hearts of 57,000 kindhearted people.
On the same day, another article on the Minghui website reported persecution news in China. The first paragraph of the article stated, “Recently, the CCP is promoting 'Singing Red Songs' (songs that praise the CCP) against the people's wishes. In Xiong County, Hebei Province, the Department of Education ordered teachers and students to write 'guarantee letters' and state that they would sign on red cloth that slanders Falun Gong. In order to comply with the authorities, some school officials ordered first and second graders to sign. The children could not leave their classroom until they signed.”
In a civil society, signing a petition in support of a cause is voluntary. But in China, weren't these school officials holding the students hostage unless they signed? Nevertheless, absurd things like this are commonplace in schools controlled by the CCP. First and second graders are very young and are supposed to be in school to learn right from wrong. The school administrators, however, simply order the children to do whatsoever the CCP says. When the administrators demanded that the students sign to denounce Falun Gong, did they tell them the facts about Falun Gong beforehand? They were blatantly misleading the children.
The signatures collected in Germany fairly represent the voices of the people. In China, however, which signature represents a student's true thoughts? What good can these forced petition campaigns serve?