France: Large Scale Public Event in Paris Raises Much Support for Appeal to France not to Bow to Jiang (Photo Report)

On Sunday February 8th, 2004, approximately one hundred practitioners from around Europe gathered at the Place de Chatalet in Paris. The purpose was to raise public awareness of how the French Authorities had recently bowed to the Jiang Regime and arrested Falun Gong practitioners just for wearing yellow scarves during the Chinese New Year celebrations. As the practitioners performed the slow-moving peaceful exercises of Falun Gong on the Square, surrounding banners gave their message to the large volumes of passing traffic. “France should not bow to Chinese Dictator Jiang Zemin” “Uphold France’s Spirit of Freedom”

Practitioners handed out large numbers of leaflets to the many passing pedestrians, and many signed a petition which asked the French authorities to apologise for their actions. Many people also stopped to find out more about Falun Gong and to talk in detail with practitioners about the events of the arrests. As they described the way in which the Jiang regime had exported its persecution to France, practitioners found that the vast majority of French people shared their deep concerns. The French people are shocked and saddened to find that the French authorities so badly failed the basic human rights of Falun Gong practitioners, and abandoned the founding principles of freedom and equality which are so inextricably tied up in France’s image, history and character.