United Kingdom: Practitioners Receive Public Support for Exposing the Persecution and the Sujiatun Atrocity

From March 22nd to March 25th 2006, U.K. Falun Gong practitioners participated in a signature-collecting campaign launched by human rights organizations at Trafalgar Square and St. Martin's Place in London for four days in a row. The events were organized to expose the atrocity in which the Chinese Communist regime established a concentration camp in Sujiatun to persecute Falun Gong practitioners, harvest their organs when they were still alive and cremate their bodies afterwards to eliminate evidence. In addition, practitioners called on the international community to pay attention to this atrocity and launch a thorough probe into the concentration camp.

The general public was shocked by the Chinese Communist regime's inhuman and despicable deeds. Some attentively viewed the photos and read the captions on the display boards, while others sat on the lawn to read flyers and other truth-clarification newspapers. Many people signed the petition to condemn the crimes committed by the Chinese Communist regime. They urged the U.K. government to help put an end to this cruel killing atrocity, and called on the United Nations to launch an investigation and rescue those being persecuted. Sometimes, people had to queue up to sign the petition. In the first three days, over one thousand signatures were collected.

People sign the petition for launching a probe into the Sujiatun Concentration Camp and rescuing Falun Gong practitioners in China

The public supports the protest against the persecution

A British government employee who passed by the square took the initiative to take some flyers for her co-workers. She said she didn't know that such a persecution could happen nowadays, so she was very shocked to learn the news. She also mentioned that there will be a U.K. delegation visiting China, and she hoped that Falun Gong practitioners could send some flyers and other materials to the delegates.

A woman who is running a website featuring little-known facts about the dark side of history said that her next project would be something on the dark side of Chinese history since the Communist regime took power. She said that after the project is completed, the articles would be publicized.

A member of a non-governmental organization expressed that she would contact other organizations so as to launch another campaign to improve China's human rights situation.

Many people expressed that they would write their parliamentarians to condemn the Chinese Communist regime's atrocities and call on the British government to help put an end to the persecution. On the third day, two men who had stopped by previously saw the practitioners again. They said, "We have talked to our parliamentarians, and we hope that everything will go right."

A woman who works nearby asked the practitioners, "Will you be here in the next two days? I'll tell all my co-workers about the event here, and invite them to view the photos on display here and pick up some truth-clarification materials as well as sign the petition."

Two students at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London University, picked up many flyers and newspapers, saying that they would distribute them to their teachers and classmates. After reading the Chinese-version truth-clarification materials, an elderly Chinese woman took some English-version materials for her colleagues. A young Japanese girl was shocked to learn the news about the Sujiatun concentration camp. She asked the practitioners for five copies of the Chinese language version of the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party for her Chinese classmates. Some French young people who were in London on a sightseeing trip picked up some newspapers, saying that they would bring them back home for their parents. A man from Australia said that he heard of the Chinese Communist regime's persecution against Falun Gong, and that he had signed a petition last year in support of ending the persecution. He hoped that his signature would be of help to Falun Gong practitioners. Many others also asked the practitioners, "How can I help to stop this persecution?"

"You should raise the public's awareness of these atrocities"

During the activity, quite a lot of British people said, "You've done a right thing. You should raise the public's awareness of these atrocities."

Someone also asked, "Now that these kinds of barbarian things takes place in the 21st century, why didn't the mass media report them whatsoever?"

Many people have already known that it is due to economic interests that some foreign governments and mass media keep silent on this matter.

Two western women told the practitioners, "We feel very sorry that many people still keep silent on it. There have been so many unjust things happening in the world. We should not keep silent any longer, and instead, we should take action to stop this persecution."

"I hope my kids will know the importance of respecting human rights from a very young age"

On the first day, a mother passed by the square along with her daughter. While viewing the photos on display boards, she talked to the little girl, "You see! These innocent people are persecuted in China, but their voice is not heard by the outside world." Pointing to a practitioner, she also said to her daughter, "What these people are doing here is to tell people what is going on in China, and to call on them to help put an end to such a cruel persecution."

A mother tells her daughter, "What these people are doing here is to tell people what is going on in China, and to call on them to help put an end to such a cruel persecution"

There was one memorable exchange that took place on the first day. Two policemen talked to a practitioner, saying that someone had complained to them that the displayed photos of persecuted practitioners were not good for children. The practitioner thus explained to the policemen the facts about Falun Gong and the cruel persecution practitioners are being subjected to, and told them that the photos expose something happening in China today and that the purpose of displaying the photos was to stop the persecution.

Pointing to another practitioner who carried her three-month-old baby while handing out truth-clarification newspapers nearby, the practitioner told the policemen, "This young mother distributes newspapers and solicits petition signatures over there today, along with her three-month-old baby, for the same purpose - to put an end to the inhuman persecution. The Chinese Communist regime's evil atrocities are detrimental to all humankind." After listening to this practitioner's explanation, these two policemen thus said that they could go ahead with the exhibition as they liked.

Later that same day, a mother came to view the photos and other materials along with her six- or seven-year-old boy and two- or three-year-old boy. She also explained to the boys about the meaning of the photos. A practitioner approached the mother to ask her if she thought the photos might have any negative impact on kids. The mother said, "These photos would not have any negative impact on kids, and on the contrary, they are very good for the kids. I hope they would know the importance of respecting human rights from a very young age."