Czech Republic: Falun Gong Practitioners Visit Mšené Lázně Elementary School

Czech Falun Gong practitioners were invited to an elementary school in Mšené Lázně to speak on human rights in China during a civic education class. The school’s deputy director has several times witnessed practitioners’ peaceful appeals and vigils at the Chinese Embassy in Prague. He also visited Falun Gong’s web pages and afterwards contacted the practitioners and requested them to introduce Falun Gong at his school.

Practitioners were welcomed heartily when they arrived at the school. The deputy director introduced them to the pupils of the 8th and 9th grade (14-15 years old).

During the following sixty minutes practitioners explained what Falun Gong is and briefly informed the students about the on-going persecution. Then the practitioners presented a movie “Appeal to China, Appeal to the World”. Students went quiet and paid attention to the film. Both the children and teachers learnt about the history of Falun Gong, about the support it received from the Chinese government in the beginning of the 1990’s and how the senseless persecution began in 1999. They also heard about several cases of people being tortured to death or killed for practising Falun Gong.

Practitioners also demonstrated the exercises, everyone had a chance to try “Buddha Showing a Thousand Hands” exercise. The pupils also looked at posters which described the methods used to torture practitioners in China, and photographs from countries all over the world, where people freely practice Falun Gong. Everyone showed a great interest and when posters with pictures of tortured people were shown the teacher reminded the children that these things are happening today.

This visit to the Elementary School was recorded on video so that other teachers can play the recording to their pupils in other civic education classes.

One of the teachers said that he hoped the Chinese regime would change their attitude as soon as possible. The school deputy director was pleased he could find out more about Falun Gong and he asked us for the internet address to get more information. One teacher also wanted to learn the exercises so she was given a VCD with detailed instruction for her private use.