Finland: Media Attention Turns to Dafa Practitioners’ Peaceful Appeals against the Human Rights Abuser

On the day before the arrival of Luo Gan in Helsinki, Finland’s “Capital Daily” newspaper published a series of reports on Falun Gong. The reports introduced practitioners’ personal understandings of cultivation and the brutal persecution happening in China. The articles said that Luo Gan is one of the main persecutors responsible for the crackdown on Falun Gong. In particular, the global lawsuits filed against Jiang Zemin, for his crimes of torture and genocide, were depicted in the reports. The media also reflected on Finnish people’s loathing of this wicked human rights abuser.

After Luo Gan’s arrival in Finland, he began by meeting with the Finnish Minister of Justice on September the 10th. Meanwhile, Falun Gong practitioners staged a demonstration outside the Ministry of Justice, calling for an end to the persecution spearheaded by this evil criminal. That day, the Finnish Minister for Justice told the media that human rights had always been one of the topics of their dialogue.

Practitioners sent forth righteous thoughts outside the Ministry of Justice and told the police and passers-by about the persecution of Falun Gong. Many people stopped to watch the exercise demonstration. After learning about the criminal actions against Falun Gong practitioners committed by Luo Gan, the police expressed their sympathy.

When Luo Gan visited the Finnish Parliament, practitioners’ large banners reading “Falun Dafa Is Good”, “End the Persecution of Falun Gong” and “Stop the Torture and Killing” were awaiting his arrival. The space in front of the parliament is a public area close to the largest road in Helsinki where local residents could see practitioner’s peaceful exercises and meditation. Luo Gan was fearful of seeing Dafa practitioners and entered the parliament through the back door with his entourage. But when he left the building, he could not avoid seeing practitioners’ eye-catching banners and their peaceful demonstration.

That day, major local TV stations and radio stations arrived at the Ministry of Justice and Parliament to cover the news. The local evening news, which has more viewers than any other TV programme, reported on Falun Gong practitioners’ demonstrations throughout Finland. The TV news stated that Luo Gan was unwilling to see the reporters and that during his visit to Europe he had seen Falun Gong demonstrations from various parts of the world. It was also reported that Jiang Zemin started his persecution of Falun Gong in 1999 and appointed Luo Gan as the head of the “610 Office”, an organisation specifically set up for persecuting Falun Gong practitioners. The Finnish Minister of Justice, Mr. Johannes Koskinen, stated in the report that the peaceful demonstrations by Falun Gong practitioners enabled the Chinese officials to know the thoughts of Finnish and European people. In addition, the news reported that Falun Gong practitioners have no intention of damaging security and public order in China.

A major Finnish radio station also featured a long interview with Dafa practitioners in Finland and interviewed Ms. Jane Dai, a practitioner from Australia whose husband was persecuted to death because he practised Falun Gong. Number 14 TV station also interviewed Ms. Dai. Through the TV and radio broadcasts, millions of Finnish people heard more information about Falun Gong and the persecution of tens of millions of innocent Chinese people.