United Kingdom Media Report: With the Largest Banners, Falun Gong Called for the Release of Practitioners in China

Several UK media, including the BBC and The Times, reported that China’s President Hu Jintao was greeted by protests on his arrival to the UK. Paragraphs related to Falun Gong activities were excerpted as follows:

BBC reported the protests with title ‘Battle of the flags for Chinese president’s visit.'

Falun Gong displayed the biggest banners, written in Chinese and English, calling for the release of followers arrested for their belief. While the Tibetans noisily chanted, the Falun Gong followers mostly stood or sat in silent contemplation.

Michael Lee, one of the organisers of the Falun Gong contingent, said they were people seeking "compassion and forbearance".

"China has no human rights - how can it when our members are imprisoned and tortured for simply seeking spiritual well-being," said Mr Lee.

"The Chinese Communist Party is persecuting our followers yet all we want to do is to talk. We do not mind that Mr Hu is welcomed to Britain by the Queen, but we would like to be able to tell him ourselves what we stand for as we are not a political movement.

"We cannot speak to him so we will be staging a vigil over the coming days outside Buckingham Palace."

The Independent interviewed Falun Gong practitioners and reported as follows:

It is a similar story for Dr Li Shao, now an academic at the University of Nottingham. As a practising member of the banned spiritual movement, Falun Gong, he has witnessed some of the worst of Beijing's repression.

Dr Shao said 2,800 practitioners had died as a result of their belief. A further 200,000 had been interned in labour camps. Among them is his sister-in-law, an accountant from the province of Guangzhou, who was arrested after she gave a seminar on Falun Gong in London. She now works fourteen hours a day in a flower factory for no pay.

"When she was seen meditating by the guards she was handcuffed by her wrists and hung from a door frame," he said. "The British Government has never raised the issue with China. Tony Blair has never even uttered the words Falun Gong to a Chinese leader," he said. Falun Gong supporters will mount a vigil outside Buckingham Palace for the duration of President Hu's stay. Last night, they watched as Mr Blair arrived for the official state banquet. They will watch as the Chinese leader sets out to Downing Street today for trade talks with the Prime Minister followed by another banquet at Guildhall. From their vigil, they will see the London Eye and Somerset House illuminated in red in honour of the Chinese guests.

Falun Gong tried yesterday to have the commerce minister, Bo Xilai, who is travelling with the party, arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to torture members of Falun Gong in Liao Ning. The attempt, made before Bow Street magistrates' court, failed.

The Times reported the protests with the title ‘Cheers and jeers greet Chinese leader in London.'

Golzar Ddashi was among the practitioners of the Falun Gong spiritual movement.

She said: "More than 100,000 practitioners have been put in jail. We are here to ask the president to stop this and let people continue to practise Falun Gong."