An Open Letter to the French President from the German Falun Dafa Association

4th February 2004

Dear President Chirac,

Under the incitement of the ex-President of China Jiang Zemin, the slanderous propaganda against Falun Gong has extended overseas. We are really shocked that this sinister propaganda has deeply influenced overseas countries, even France, which is regarded as the model of democracy and liberty. On the 24th of January 2004, Falun Gong practitioners who wore yellow scarves were arrested by the French police for no reason while they were watching the Chinese New Year Parade on the Champs Eylsees. This act gave people the impression that Falun Gong seems to be banned in France as well in China. It also further deepened the Franco-Chinese population’s misunderstanding about Falun Gong, and that Chinese population has already been poisoned by the slanderous Chinese media. In addition, this action also created a kind of legitimate false platform for the Chinese government to violate Falun Gong practitioners’ human rights in China.

In China, through covering up the facts and spreading lies, the persecution of Falun Gong has lasted for over four years. Until now, over nine hundred innocent Falun Gong practitioners have been tortured to death. We think that a country like France should not support this kind of persecution.

We hope you can stand up, based on upholding human rights, clarify the facts about the Paris incident to people and enable France to continue to maintain the traditional culture of believing in justice and freedom.

Yours sincerely,
German Falun Dafa Association