United Kingdom: Commemorating 12 Years of Persecution on Trafalgar Square

On Saturday 16th July an activity was held in Trafalgar Square, London, to commemorate 12 years of persecution against Falun Gong in China. The Chinese Communist Party publicly launched a widescale campaign of human rights abuses against Falun Gong in July 1999.

Demonstrating the Falun Gong sitting meditation exercise

Falun Gong practitioners from throughout the UK gathered on the square on Saturday morning. The demonstrated the five sets of exercises and told passers by about the benefits of Falun Gong practice. There was considerable rain but this did not dampen the practitioners' spirits or stifle the interest of the public.

Practitioners set up a cage in which some Chinese practitioners dressed as prisoners of conscience, whilst another practitioner dressed as a policeman.

Big banners on the side of the cage said "Stop Persecuting Falun Gong in China - 3,425 deaths in 12 years of persecution". The display caught the attention of many passers by who came to take photos and find out more.

Re-enacting the unlawful imprisonment of practitioners in China caught the interest of many passers by

Large format poster displays listed the names of all 3,425 confirmed cases of Falun Gong practitioners losing their lives in the Chinese Communist Party's persecution.

Many people signed a petition calling on the UK Government to help end the abuses.

At 1pm a press conference was held at which Professor Li Shao spoke on behalf of the UK Falun Dafa Association about the 12 years of abuse that practitioners have suffered at the hands of the Chinese Communist regime. Letters of support from several Members of Parliament were read out.