Germany: Famous Brandenburg Gate in Berlin Hosts Rally to Bring Jiang to Justice

On the morning of Monday November the 24th 2003, several hundred Falun Gong practitioners from countries all over Europe gathered in front of the famous Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. The morning was dark and overcast to begin with, and the air felt a little thick and heavy. Practitioners began to practise the Falun Gong exercises and hold banners and placards, whilst many others handed out materials to passing tourists and locals. Many Chinese tour groups arrived during the course of the morning. Their original intention was of course to see the Brandenburg Gate. But the sight of several hundred Falun Gong practitioners moving in harmony as they practised the gentle and beautiful movements, or sitting peacefully in meditation, surrounded by banners which condemned the persecution of Falun Gong, was the true attraction. Many people from the Chinese tour groups were clearly very surprised to find this additional tourist attraction. Many accepted materials from the practitioners.

As the morning progressed, with practitioners continuously practising the exercises and sending forth righteous thoughts, the sun began to break through the clouds, until by the end of the morning, the sky was mostly blue, and the air felt lighter and clearer. The subtle light of the winter sun illuminated banners and the Brandenburg gate in a beautifully refined way.

This activity was to draw attention to the persecution of Falun Gong in China, and was part of a series of activities coinciding with the launch of a lawsuit in Germany charging Jiang Zemin with genocide, crimes against humanity and torture, as well as dangerous bodily harm to Falun Gong practitioners in China. After the practitioners had finished the exercises, they sat or stood quietly, as various speakers took part in a rally with the theme of bringing Jiang to justice. Speaking over a powerful public address system, the voices of the speakers resounded around the square carrying their strong and clear message. After a practitioner had given an account of the crimes of Jiang Zemin and the worldwide efforts to bring him to justice through many lawsuits, Mr Zhao Ming, a post-graduate student in Ireland, gave a speech. One of the plaintiffs in some of the many lawsuits filed against Jiang around the world, Zhao Ming described his experiences of being tortured and detained in labour camps and detention centres for nearly two years in China. As he spoke, he put his experiences in the context of a genocide which has resulted from the orders of the highest authorities in China, and which has been carried out against the will of the people and the government at the hands of Jiang and his senior aides. Ms Zhang Cuiying, a Chinese artist who is also a plaintiff in several lawsuits, also described her experiences during 8 months of detention in China at the hands of the Jiang regime. The final speaker was the European representative of the World Organisation to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong, who catalogued the evidence of Jiang’s crimes against Falun Gong.