Villabverne (Danish Newspaper): Daily Protest Against Chinese Oppression

9 April 2003
Per Farsund

Every day for nearly a year, a small group of Falun Gong practitioners have been demonstrating in front of the Chinese embassy in Hellerup

There he goes again. Poul Andersen from Gentofte [a 75-year-old Danish Falun Gong practitioner] calmly unfolds the big yellow banner. Written in big red Chinese characters it states: “Falun Gong is good, stop the persecution”. The time is now 10am on Oregaards Allé, which means that the daily demonstration in front of the Chinese embassy has started. Poul Andersen takes out a small mat from his backpack, spreads it out on the pavement, and then takes off his shoes and slowly sits down in the Lotus position. During the next hour and fifteen minutes he intends to sit on the pavement with the other demonstrators in a state of meditation. Today there are five of them: sometimes there are more, sometimes less.

Perseverance

Some people may argue that the demonstration we are witnessing isn’t very impressive. However, what Falun Gong lacks in numbers it makes up in sheer determination. Since 28 April 2002, Poul Andersen and his kindred spirits have been in front of the embassy virtually every day. Regardless of the rain, sleet, snow or wind, the banner has been unfolded, and between 10 and 11.15am, they have all tenaciously done what they can to create awareness of the monstrosities and persecution they believe is happening to Falun Gong practitioners in China. In other words, they have tried to play out the role of “the conscience of the guilty regime”, and according to the reactions so far they have at least managed to [have an effect on] the representatives of the Chinese regime in Denmark. As most people probably are aware, Falun Gong has been banned by law in China, and the daily presence of the Falun Gong practitioners practising their movements and meditation right in front of the embassy gates has, at certain times, proven to be so provocative to the embassy staff that on several occasions under various pretences, they have attempted to stop the demonstration and have it removed.

Mental and physical improvement

So what exactly is it that can make the embassy staff go like that, while practitioners like Poul Andersen show up every day to protest? Falun Gong is a traditional Chinese form of qigong, which, according to practitioners, increases the physical and mental wellbeing through the practice of five easy to learn exercises, including meditation. The exercises aim at cleansing the body and opening up the energy channels, as well as heightening energy levels while strengthening and improving the circulation. This ancient cultivation method had originally been passed down to one person. However, in 1992 Master Li Hongzhi made this system known to the public in China, and since then the method has spread to more than 50 countries, where millions of people practise the exercises that are said to strengthen the health while harmonising the body, soul and mind.

The persecution in China

While Poul Andersen is concentrating on performing the exercises, Marco Hsu uses his time to tell us about the background of the unreasonable persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China. “It basically started in 1999 when the Chinese authorities decided to ban Falun Gong. At first the government approved of and supported Falun Gong, mainly due to its health-giving properties. In 1999, however, an official government report indicated that more than 70 million Chinese citizens, including members of the communist party, the armed forces, the police and academics, had become practitioners”, recounts Marco Hsu. The Chinese president Jiang Zemin, as well as some of his loyal cohorts, felt threatened by this fact, which in turn resulted in the banning of Falun Gong in 1999. Since then, according to Marco Hsu, many people have been arrested, tortured and killed. Thousands have been sent to labour camps, mental hospitals and prisons. Practitioners have been forced to choose between giving up practising Falun Gong and losing their homes, jobs, studies or pensions.

The logic of the regime

For an outside observer it seems a bit difficult to make any sense of what Marco Hsu is saying. If it is true, then what has driven the Chinese government to systematically persecute seemingly innocent people? Basically, it boils down to the fact that the government is fearful of spirituality and, of course, the fact that such a huge amount of people are doing something which has nothing to do with the communist party. [...] Since Falun Gong doesn’t have any formal organisation, hierarchy or any political agenda, just as it doesn’t have any commercial interests, the Chinese authorities’ injustices seem all the more incomprehensible. The cornerstone of the moral teachings is the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance, and this is how we try to act when we stand in front of the embassy everyday. We are peaceful and law abiding citizens, which is something that everyone can see when we are standing on Oregaards Allé [address of the Chinese embassy in Denmark] every morning”, Marco Hsu concludes.

The demonstration ends

At the site of the demonstration people are starting to stir; and, frankly speaking, they do not look particularly dangerous! The participants start to get up slowly. They seem relaxed and slightly remote as if needing a moment to get back from some sort of journey within themselves. Poul Andersen silently folds his little mat, puts it in his backpack and unlocks his bicycle. In a little while the retired engineer will be heading back home. For the remainder of the day he’ll probably be doing what most other retirees do – but tomorrow he’ll be sitting here again.