Germany: First Falun Gong Anti-Torture Exhibition Held in Frankfurt

“It is time to give people a wake-up call!”

This a remark a visitor wrote in the guest-book during Frankfurt's first outdoor anti-torture exhibition, held in Römerberg Square. The author was an employee of the US Air Force who called the spectacular exhibition run by the Frankfurt-based Falun Gong group a very meaningful action and encouraged them to publicise the persecution in China.

On Saturday, August 13th, a spectacular tableau was displayed under a brilliant sky on this historic square in Frankfurt: In the background were banners with slogans condemning the persecution in China and out in front were reproductions of paintings illustrating torture methods used to persecute Falun Gong practitioners in China. In addition, actors representing victims and policemen enacted three different torture scenes. They seemed so convincingly real that the spectators could hardly believe their eyes and asked for more information. Especially the children were very touched and some started to cry so that their parents had to explain that that the scenes were only acted out and that the blood was just make-up. Next to the reenacted scenes was a group of people peacefully meditating. Everywhere, there were posters with pictures and information about the persecution of Falun Gong in China. Falun Gong practitioners had arrived from Frankfurt, Darmstadt, Wiesbaden, Mainz and from as far away as Tübingen, Ulm, Fulda and Würzburg to raise awareness among the tourists and pedestrians about the catastrophic human rights situation in China by handing out fliers and newspapers and explaining the situation in detail.

The square was busier than ever. Several youth groups landed at our information booth. They had come from France, Romania, Brazil, Argentina, the USA and many other countries. They demanded fliers in many different languages. Conversations with many of the open-minded young people who were hearing about these realities for the first time were extremely rewarding. They were deeply impressed by the pictures of the torture victims in the cage and the person tied down to the ‘tiger bench’ while being beaten by a policeman.

The young people had been staying in Frankfurt with Christian families because they were on their way to Cologne for a Catholic Youth Day. One of them wrote into the guest book: “If this is really true, then the German press has failed us.”