At the end of August and the beginning of September 2004, during the US Republican National Convention, there were 15,000 reporters gathered in New York City to cover all the events taking place there. Media outlets reported on stories of nearly a thousand Falun Gong practitioners who had come to Manhattan to hand out flyers to passers-by and explain the facts about Falun Gong to them.
Centre Daily mentioned Falun Gong in a report published on September 3. It stated that G.T. Thompson, chairman of the Centre County Republican Committee in Pennsylvania, said that the most numerous demonstrators he saw were Falun Gong activists outside the Hilton. He said, "They peacefully talked about the persecution of Falun Gong followers in China."
Media interviews Falun Gong practitioners | Peaceful appeal | Demonstrating the Falun Gong exercises |
The Falun Gong activities in New York City also included traditional Chinese dances and waist drum performances. In the world famous Central Park, Falun Gong practitioners demonstrated the exercises to passers-by. 50,000 runners taking part in a long distance race witnessed the practitioners' peaceful exercise demonstration. The Times and Democrat stated in a report published on September the 2nd that in Central Park, across from the Plaza Hotel, there was a small, quiet demonstration concerning the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China.
Falun Gong practitioners perform the exercises in Central Park |
The Washington Times reported on the fact that Falun Gong practitioners were to be found on sidewalks all over the city.
Peaceful appeal | Signing a petition to support Falun Gong | A practitioner explaining the facts about Falun Gong on the street |
AP mentioned in a report on September the 1st that in Union Square, a dozen Falun Gong demonstrators with realistic make-up to resemble blood were exhibiting the torture methods used on practitioners in China. Washington Square News also reported on the Falun Gong practitioners' activity in a report published on August the 30th. The report mentioned a group of Falun Gong practitioners conducting a peaceful appeal in Union Square.
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