German Practitioner: “Let's Stop this Persecution Together”

On April 3 2003, Falun Gong practitioners held press conferences in three cities: Berlin, Dresden, and Hanover. The purpose was to officially announce an appeal to the German police who overreacted during Jiang’s visit to Germany last April. It was also announced that a request is being made for the police’s illegal behaviour to be judged in court. Here is a speech made by a Falun Gong spokesperson during the press conference in Berlin.

“You may ask why, after one year, we bring up the story of how Jiang made German people feel so uncomfortable that the German media refused to interview him. Isn’t it enough to hear news of the war and the terrible damage it has caused? Some people might think so. However, this is also what those in power in China hope for: to have people forget what is happening in China because the focus has shifted elsewhere. The Minister for Foreign Affairs in Germany said, during a human rights meeting in the United Nations last year, “there is no anti-terrorist organisation for the issue of human rights violations.” This is perfectly true. China continues to cruelly torture and kill people who want to live good and moral lives. This has inspired us to go to the street to collect signatures, talk with politicians, help end this persecution, and to have our friends and families regain free and dignified lives.

When Falun Gong practitioners held a pre-approved parade during Jiang’s visit to Germany, they were forced back more than 80 metres from the area where they had obtained permission to meet. If you were a westerner, you were lucky to be allowed to walk past the hotel where Jiang was staying. If you were Asian, you were prohibited from doing anything. If you wore a yellow T-Shirt or scarf, then you would also be prohibited from doing anything. When the police were asked where the orders to prevent Asian people and those with yellow clothing from passing Jiang’s hotel came from, the answer was “high-level management”. When asked about this “high-level management”, the police replied “Yes, Jiang does not want to see yellow or Falun Gong. Otherwise he will leave. And if the police do not act according to this then Germany will be disgraced.” From Berlin, Bocitan, Dresden, and all the way to Goslar, the policemen said this to us.

The news reported that Berlin was part of China.

We are willing to be tolerant of the policemen who have been misled. We explained to them with benevolence exactly what Falun Gong is and we told them how the dictator in China has tried every possible method to eliminate Falun Gong. We showed them that we have always been peaceful and that in four years of history’s most brutal persecution, there has never been any report of Falun Gong practitioners retaliating with violence. We talked to them but didn’t expect them to chase after us because we were wearing yellow clothes or because we looked Asian.

It was not until we collected a great deal of written testimonies, including dates and witnesses, that we found that the same thing had happened in several places in Germany, with the police saying: “It is because you are wearing yellow clothes, that you practise Falun Gong, and that you have an Asian face.”

We talked to the relevant authorities, police stations, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and lawyers to explain to them who we are, that many practitioners came to Germany during Jiang’s visit to appeal against the horrific crimes against humanity that he is instigating in China, what they could expect from us, and how they treated us illegally.

The Minister for Internal Affairs in Berlin, and his department acknowledged their mistakes and offered their commitment to improvement. We accepted their apology and expressed our thanks to them. At this point, we would also like to express our thanks to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Germany, those in charge of various government departments in Dusseldorf, and those who signed their names on petitions to save our friends and family.

We will not slack off. As long as the illegal persecution of innocent people continues, we will continue to make open and peaceful appeals. These appeals have received support from a large number of citizens and VIPs in political circles of this country. We hope that last year’s violation of human rights can be atoned for by way of a serious apology, and we can try to stop this persecution together.”

Chinese version available at http://yuanming.net/articles/200304/18979.html