Germany: Appealing Against the Persecution on World Human Rights Day in Frankfurt

World Human Rights Day was on the 10th of December 2004. Falun Gong practitioners in and near Frankfurt gathered at the city’s Old Opera House to appeal to the Chinese Government to stop the persecution against Falun Gong.

This was a Friday so some Falun Gong practitioners were at work. They came to the Old Opera House during their lunch break to demonstrate the exercises and distribute leaflets to the endless streams of tourists.

A large number of passers-by signed a petition calling for the immediate release of Xu Youlin, mother of a German practitioner who is being detained in Beijing’s Female Forced Labour Camp for practising Falun Gong.

The persecution of Falun Gong practitioners was started in July 1999 by Communist leader Jiang Zemin. A Sinology graduate of Frankfurt University made the following statement: “The direction of my University study is ancient Chinese culture and modern human rights issues. I am very happy to attend this activity today on World Human Rights Day. Some German people think that China’s human rights are better than before, but I think it has got worse. On the surface it looks as if it’s a bit better, but that’s only because the evidence and details have been hidden.”

“In China, disobeying the Communist Party and denying its control would mean persecution. Not only Falun Gong either, because people who admit to the Roman Catholic Church would be called the “Underground Church” in China. If there is freedom of belief, why is it called the “Underground Church” then? The persecution of Falun Gong is even more brutal, because Falun Gong’s numbers surpass members of all other communities. What’s more there are people of every profession and all ages who practise Falun Gong.”

“As a Falun Gong practitioner, I really want to tell people about the true situation of the persecution of Falun Gong, especially tourists from China. Some of them are very puzzled: it’s banned in China, yet people can practise it freely in Germany. Then they will start to think about it. Some people come nearer and would read our materials to know more about the situation of the persecution. There are still plenty of people who still don’t know the severity of the persecution.”