United Kingdom: Manchester Falun Gong Practitioners Protest Against the Hiring of Gunmen Overseas to Shoot Practitioners in South Africa

On the morning of July the 2nd 2004, Falun Gong practitioners in Manchester gathered at the Chinese Consulate and held a peaceful protest against Jiang’s followers hiring gunmen to shoot practitioners in South Africa. Practitioners also strongly condemned the Jiang regime’s national terrorist acts overseas.

According to reports, Zeng Qinghong and Bo Xilai, who are directly responsible for the persecution of Falun Gong, were visiting South Africa from June the 27th to June the 29th. On the night of the 28th, gunmen attacked Australian Falun Gong practitioners who had heard the news and were on their way to the Presidential Guest House. The car was hit at least five times. Of all the practitioners, the only one wearing clothing with the Falun Dafa insignia, David Liang, was shot, causing injuries to his foot. Police have opened a case and assigned an inspector to investigate.

During the activity in UK, Falun Gong practitioners held banners with the words ‘Strongly Condemning the Jiang Regime’s State Terrorist Acts Overseas’. Photos of the practitioner’s injuries were also on display. Many people passing by and those who went to the Chinese Consulate for visas stopped at our protest and looked at the photos, and asked practitioners several questions regarding the incident. After learning what had happened in South Africa, they were shocked, some of them requested to sign the petition.

Manchester Evening News, a local newspaper which has 160,000 readers every day, also interviewed a practitioner on the phone and sent a reporter to take photographs of our activity.