Canada: Practitioners Clarify the Truth to French Embassy Officials in Canada

Around noon on January 31, Falun Gong practitioners in Ottawa went to peacefully appeal in front of the French Embassy, clarifying the truth of Falun Gong to the officials of the French Embassy and exposing the lies of Jiang's regime that misled the international community and helped to extend the persecution overseas. They hoped that, through understanding the truth, French authorities would correct the mistakes and apologize for the harm to Falun Gong practitioners who were treated unfairly in Paris.

The Officials of the French Embassy Make No Comment on the Events

On January 28, during the visit of Hu Jintao to France, Paris police unjustly arrested a number of Falun Gong practitioners who had broken no laws. Regarding this affair, the practitioners in Ottawa contacted the officials of the French Embassy to clarify the truth of Falun Gong and expose the fact that Jiang has lied to slander Falun Gong.

Commenting on the activity, Falun Gong practitioner Dai Gongyu said in an interview, "We told the officials of the French Embassy that we were here not to take any action against them but to help in resolving what happened in Paris. As a matter of fact, it is a very serious matter that the French government used violence against peaceful Falun Gong practitioners." The officials of the French Embassy responded that they knew nothing about the affair; neither the media nor the French government made any comment. They added that they would ask the ambassador about their government's position.

By Diplomatic Means and Through Cultural Exchange, Jiang's Gang Exported Lies to Mislead the International Media

Since the persecution started in 1999, to mislead the international media and extend the persecution overseas, Jiang has been exporting his lies by means of cultural exchange, commercial and diplomatic relations, etc. Recently the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong revealed the following facts:

1. "Person to Person Propaganda" for Spreading Lies

To acquire international recognition for suppressing Falun Gong, Jiang personally visited 6 countries in 1999, carrying out his so-called "person to person propaganda." During an interview with Le Figaro at the end of October of that year, Jiang fabricated the charges against Falun Gong himself. Soon, the authorities' mouthpiece, the People's Daily, responded by quickly publishing articles slandering Falun Gong, thus creating the so-called media and law foundation and paving the road for Jiang to escalate the persecution of Falun Gong.

2. Under the Cover of Cultural Exchange

In addition, the Culture Department, headed by Sun Jiazheng, aided Jiang's propaganda actively. It is reported that Jiang and the French president agreed to hold a "cultural year" together as they exchanged visits in 1999 and 2000. In April of 2001, the vice Premier Li Lanqing, who headed the "610 Office" that targets Falun Gong, signed the agreement during his visit to France. An investigation reveals that the chairman and some of the members of the committee organizing the cultural activities had participated in the persecution to various extents.

On the morning of January 28, the visiting culture department minister Sun Jiazheng was sued in France by Falun Gong practitioners on the charge of torture.

3. Use of Diplomatic Ties

In the diplomatic aspect, the Chinese embassy, headed by the ambassador Wu Jianmin, slandered and incited hatred against Falun Gong and its founder in several gatherings of Chinese and in photo exhibitions. Wu sometimes presided over these activities personally. On November 21, 1999, Wu attacked Falun Gong with lies in an address at the Chinese embassy in France. As a result, a lot of people there were deceived and echoed the lies by denouncing Falun Gong on site. On March 25, 2001, in his capacity as ambassador, Wu presided over the meeting of the delegates of the Chinese "Anti-X" (slanderous word omitted) Association, during which they slandered Falun Gong with false charges such as suicide, homicide, etc. On January 7, 2002, that association and the Chinese embassy held a photo exhibition together, exhibiting hundreds of pictures to slander Falun Gong and its founder.

4. Lies, Propaganda Materials to Incite Hatred and Persecution Were Rejected in Canada

Throughout these four years, Jiang's group has been exporting the lies and hatred by various means (exhibitions, distribution of propaganda materials and use of religious delegates and media) to Canada too. According to a Falun Dafa Information Centre report, the Chinese Deputy Consul General Pan Xinchun was found guilty in a Canadian court for libel against Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Joel Chipkar. ( http://clearharmony.net/articles/200402/17678.html)

This kind of spreading of hatred was rejected not only by Falun Gong practitioners but also by the mainstream society of Canada and government officials. One Member of Parliament in Toronto said, "This kind of material could not convince me. Falun Gong is peaceful and non-violent. I have asked the Minister of Foreign Affairs to condemn the persecution against human rights in China. The tactics taken by the Chinese government are just another excuse for their persecution of Falun Gong." Facing the propaganda materials of this kind, MP Rob Anders said that we should require these Chinese diplomats, who are interfering with the freedom of personal belief here, to leave. They should go home, and never come back again. They should stop bringing such propaganda to Canada and coming here to make trouble for Canadian Falun Gong practitioners. They have always been suppressing religious freedom in China. Don't come here to harass! What they are doing in China is so notorious; so don't bring these things to Canada!"

Moreover, the campaign to bring the participants of the persecution to justice is progressing intensively in Canada. As reported by the Ottawa Citizen and Vancouver Sun on January 21, the RCMP is keeping a watch-list of 15 high-ranking Chinese officials who have been accused of torturing and oppressing members of the Falun Gong spiritual movement. If any of the officials sets foot in Canada, the RCMP will "look into" their alleged criminal actions. Under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, applicants cannot be admitted to Canada if there are reasonable grounds to believe they have perpetrated a crime against humanity. The list of accused includes Jiang Zemin, the 72-year-old former president of China and now chairman of the country's Central Military Commission, and Liu Qi, the mayor of Beijing.

It was mentioned in a letter from the Canadian Falun Dafa Association to French officials, "We have no ill feeling toward the French government, but we ask that you not forget the countless practitioners of Falun Gong who are suffering atrocities in labour camps, mental hospitals, and detention centres across China. We are concerned for France that these wrongful arrests have brought your country one step closer to the stark reality and practice of persecution and injustice in China. We urge you to take immediate measures to rectify this wrong and to prevent greater damage to the dignity and reputation of your country within the international community."