France: Many Organisations and Groups Protest Against Hong Kong’s Evil Article 23 in front of the Chinese Embassy

On the evening of July 8th, many organisations and groups from different parts of France protested in front of the Chinese Embassy against the Jiang regime forcing Hong Kong to establish Article 23

Wu Jiang, who is in charge of the Chinese Democratic Party’s French branch, gave an impromptu speech. He said that the three modifications put forward by Hong Kong leader Tung Chee-hwa are just the same old stuff with a different label. The purpose of Article 23 is for the Jiang regime to extend its dictatorship to Hong Kong. Wu Jiang thinks that the establishment of Article 23 is a humiliation to the people of Hong Kong; and it is the Chinese Communist party itself that is committing the crime of subversion (Article 23 is known as the “anti-subversion law”) as Article 23 already violates the Chinese Constitution.

A representative of the French-Tibet Association stated that they joined the protest against Article 23 in Hong Kong without reservation. Their statement also said that since 1997, when Hong Kong was taken over by China, the Jiang regime has destroyed Hong Kong people’s basic freedom in spite of the “One Country, Two Systems” promise, and Falun Gong has been increasingly suppressed.

A Falun Gong practitioner also made a public speech on behalf of the French Falun Dafa Association. In the statement, it was said that Article 23 is a poisonous knife. Under the protection of Article 23, the Jiang regime can have anyone arrested, cruelly punished, or even savagely murdered in Hong Kong because they practise Falun Gong. The Beijing government must completely give it up rather than present a partial modification or give a vague guarantee.

A representative of China Union gave a speech on behalf of Mrs. Marie Holzman, stating that the freedom of Hong Kong is threatened and that it’s most important for everyone to take action and follow their heart. It is only when large groups of people are mobilized in Hong Kong, Europe, the United States and Paris that a strong message can be delivered to the Chinese government: progress is not the result of a loss of freedom. In her statement, it was emphasised that those basic freedoms are a right and a guarantee to safety and peace in the world. SARS is one example. The freedom of the media in Hong Kong avoided a larger development of SARS. At the end of the declaration, an appeal was made to the democratic world to strongly support the progress of democracy rather than take a step back. It is for Hong Kong, for China, and for every one of us.

At the gathering, a film in which Article 23 was condemned by many internationally-renowned public figures was shown.

Translated from Chinese at http://www.yuanming.net/articles/200307/22625.html