Initially, we brought the Ambassadors attention to what happened during last years state visit and told him that we want this situation to be rectified. We also expressed our gratitude for the friendly reception we had got from the Icelandic people.
We were very concerned to convey what Falun Gong really is, thinking that a good understanding of our practice would be necessary. Earlier experience has shown that intellectual descriptions alone have failed to convey a real understanding of our practice. We therefore wanted to show the exercises in the Ambassadors office - with his permission.
Showing and explaining the exercises created a very trustful atmosphere. The Ambassador asked questions and could relate the answers to his own life experiences; we explained that the core principle of Falun Gong is to live according to Truth-Kindness-Tolerance in everyday life, and we talked about how this can be done.
We told him the facts about the persecution, explained how the propaganda and lies deceived and poisoned peoples minds, and revealed that the former Chinese leader bears full responsibility for this persecution. The Chinese practitioner touched the Ambassador's heart when she told him how her relatives and friends are being treated by officials in China.
We also shared how Icelandic people had the view that the actions of their own government served to accept the persecution of Falun Gong, and how this, against the will of its people, positioned Iceland in support of the persecution. It is important that the Icelandic government rectifies this situation. Therefore we have taken several initiatives with the government.
We therefore continue our efforts. Last June, we filed a complaint with the Ombudsman. Shortly before the filing, the Data Protection Agency in Iceland, responding to a complaint from a practitioner, made a decision that distributing the blacklist to embassies abroad and to Icelandair was unlawful.
Practitioners are concerned about upholding values and ethics in society. Leaders in a democracy play an important role in this regard. Setting bad examples can be a threat to good values and have bad effects in society. In addition, we note that the view that a government takes on Truth-Compassion-Forbearance is the view of a nation, regardless of the peoples opinion. We hope that Icelands view will become positive.
The ambassador gave us a very friendly reception and said he was very pleased with our visit. He would report home on our talks.
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