Australia: Falun Gong Practitioners Hold Press Conference in Front of Chinese Consulate in Melbourne to Expose the Source of the Incidents in Paris

At 11 a.m. on January 30, practitioners held a press conference in front of Melbourne Chinese Consulate to expose the truth of the arrest, detention and rough treatment of practitioners by French police in Paris on January 24 and 26. During the press conference, practitioners issued a statement regarding this incident. The statement pointed out that the reason behind the incident is apparently that the French government had bowed to the Jiang regime's pressure.

On January 24 and 26, ahead of Chinese Chairman Hu Jintao's visit to France, several dozen Falun Gong practitioners from England, Germany, France, Taiwan, and Norway were distributing truth-clarifying leaflets or simply wearing yellow scarves with the words "Falun Gong" on them on the streets of Paris. They were taken to the police station, had their passports inspected and their Falun Gong leaflets taken away; they were released after being detained for four hours. Some practitioners were taken away without doing anything, without even any clothing or apparel that indicated they were associated with Falun Gong. French police even conducted a forceful search of a female German practitioner.

The French public was shocked upon hearing news of what happened. When some practitioners were being released, the police filled in "no reason" for the "Reason for Detention" entry on their log sheets. Some policemen admitted that their actions were quite inappropriate. Several policemen said helplessly, "This was an order from above; they have to think about the French economy."

When Melbourne Falun Gong practitioners called related departments of the French Government, people said that they didn't know of the incident and simply told practitioners to contact other departments. In the statement, Melbourne Falun Gong spokesperson Ms. Catty said that the reason practitioners didn't choose to protest in front of the French consulate is that the French police and government were pressured into violating practitioners' rights, and the source of this pressure is evident. Similar incidents have occurred in other regions around the world, especially where Chinese government officials have visited.

Ms. Catty said, "When western countries arrest Falun Gong practitioners, the Jiang regime will immediately order its media to report the incidents and use them as evidence that governments of western countries endorse its brutal persecution of Falun Gong. Although it is the western governments' lack of understanding of Falun Gong that leads to the police's rough treatment of Falun Gong practitioners, these kinds of incidents will have a severe impact and could directly endanger millions of lives in China."

When interviewed by a New Tang Dynasty reporter, Ms. Catty said that the Victoria Falun Gong Association had sent a letter to French President Chirac. In the letter, practitioners called on the French Government to stop mistreating Falun Gong practitioners, investigate this incident and give an objective evaluation of practitioners' peaceful activities.

At the end, Ms. Catty called on Australian government officials at all levels to stand up to resist the Jiang regime's persecution of Falun Gong and protect the most precious principles of human beings -"Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance".

While the press conference was ongoing across the street from the Chinese Consulate, more than 10 Falun Gong practitioners quietly sat next to posters exposing the Jiang regime's crimes against Falun Gong. Passing by vehicles often honked their horns to show their support. A middle-aged lady passing by kindly asked why police were around. After learning that the police were there to protect the press conference from interference by the Chinese Consulate staff, she wished practitioners well from deep in her heart.