Johannesburg, South Africa: Falun Gong Practitioners Beaten in Chinatown, Apparently by Hired Assailants

On July 2, 2004, in Johannesburg's Chinatown, South Africa, Falun Gong practitioners staged an exhibition demonstrating tortures suffered by practitioners in China, to expose the Jiang regime's illegal persecution and to clarify the truth about Falun Gong. These practitioners were maliciously beaten by unidentified assailants.

Around 1:00 p.m., while several practitioners were preparing the exhibition,

six or seven unidentified young Chinese people suddenly rushed in. First, they tore down the Falun Dafa banners, then they beat the practitioners, including an elderly Taiwanese practitioner and a young South African practitioner. They slapped the South African practitioner's face and kicked him. They also tore down the truth-clarifying photos that Falun Gong practitioners had hung up, and they threatened the practitioners with abusive language, telling them not to hold activities there. The Falun Gong practitioners were very calm and peaceful, and immediately reported the incident to the police. The police arrived soon after, but the gang of hooligans had already escaped.

The Falun Gong practitioners at the site indicated that this incident was identical in nature to the recent shooting incident. The assailants tore down the banners, beat the practitioners and fled the scene. They were clearly hired to harass the practitioners. Most of the practitioners who took part in the anti-torture exhibition came from other countries, and the South African practitioner also came from another city, so there could not have been any personal enmity with the local residents.

In recent years, Jiang's regime has escalated the harassment and persecution of overseas Falun Gong practitioners. In 1999, soon after Jiang Zemin began to brutally suppress Falun Gong, there were many reports of Chinese officials threatening, harassing, and attacking Falun Gong practitioners. Public officials, private enterprises and media outlets around the world have even faced pressure and threats from the Chinese Government.

The exhibition showing the torture of Falun Gong practitioners began at 1:30 p.m. that day. Merchants and employees from various businesses in Chinatown and passers-by stopped to watch the exhibition. They were shocked to learn the truth about the persecution. Many people expressed their support in stopping the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. Some people also expressed interest in learning the practice.