Ireland: Raising Awareness of the 21-Year-Long Persecution of Falun Gong in China

The brutal persecution of innocent Falun Gong practitioners has lasted for 21 years. Though information is tightly censored in China, more than 4500 Falun Gong practitioners' deaths during the persecution have been documented since July 20, 1999. The true number of deaths is thought to be much, much higher. Hundreds of thousands of practitioners have been imprisoned, incarcerated, tortured and a large number have even been subjected to state-sanctioned live organ harvesting.

Falun Gong is a spiritual practice based on the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Practising Falun Gong improves health, wellbeing and moral character. Falun Gong was tremendously popular in China in the late 1990s and had spread by word of mouth with an estimated 100 million people practising it. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), out of paranoia and jealousy, initiated the persecution of the belief on July 20, 1999.

Falun Gong practitioners held activities to raise public awareness of the persecution in downtown Dublin on July 18 and received support from Senators, Members of Assembly (MA), and administration officials.

Many people paused to view the posters and sign the petition against the persecution, though social distancing is still being observed in Ireland to control the CCP virus pandemic.

Activities to raise awareness of the persecution in downtown Dublin on July 18

Signing a petition against the persecution

The new government formed in Ireland in July 2020. Nine Senators and MAs and a minister signed a joint statement “Call for an end to the persecution of Falun Gong”, which urges the CCP to stop the persecution and release all practitioners who are being detained or imprisoned.

Alan Kelly, Leader of the Irish Labour Party, stated in his letter, “I am deeply concerned about the recorded persecution of Falun Gong by China.” He indicated that this was a long-term issue and Labour Party MAs had spoken out about it many times.

Protesting the persecution in front of the Chinese Embassy on July 20

Practitioners held a candlelight vigil in front of the Chinese Embassy in Dublin on the evening of July 20 to commemorate those fellow practitioners who have died in the persecution.