Austria: Activities in Salzburg Mark the Seventh Year of the Persecution of Falun Gong in China

On July 15th, 2006, we held activities in the Alter Market Square in Salzburg to mark seven years since the start of the brutal persecution of Falun Gong. The theme of the activities was: "Why has China been persecuting people who strive for Truth, Compassion and Tolerance for seven years?" We distributed detailed information about concentration camps in China that are designed to destroy mainly Falun Gong practitioners. In addition, we staged re-enactments of the notorious forced organ removals from live Falun Gong practitioners.

Practitioners demonstrated the five Falun Gong exercises. We distributed beautiful pictures of practitioners from all around the world that exhibited the peaceful aura of Falun Gong. Using one practitioner as an example, we were able to graphically show what is going on in China even to the previously uninformed. Passersby were able to watch, as if attending a play, how a group of peacefully meditating people are dragged away, tortured to force them to renounce their belief and finally “butchered” for their internal organs.

Many people stopped with shocked expressions and asked for more details. They signed a petition we had prepared in collaboration with the International Society for Human Rights.

Through a public address system, we were able to explain to every corner of the square how the terror regime of the Communist Party in China (CCP) had instigated the brutal persecution. Many times, individuals wanted to know how they could help and we told them that information about the persecution was our best weapon and that it is most effective to pass on this knowledge to other people, since the perpetrators are afraid of having the truth brought to light. In addition, every signature and even verbal good wishes constitute a ray of hope and consolation for practitioners and encourages them not to give up or submit to the pressure of the perpetrators. This is especially true for the practitioners in China who are the main victims of the persecution.

In addition to the organ removal scenes, we also demonstrated torture methods in very realistic ways, showing people who are shackled in small cages for days, hung from a type of scaffold and tortured with electric batons. The message we wanted to get across was: Look. This is what is happening in China at this moment. This is how the CCP deals with Falun Gong practitioners without fear of punishment or legal action. There is no end to their cruelty and there is no telling what else will happen until this crazed behavior is stopped. As long as Falun Gong is persecuted, we will continue to report about this in order to raise public awareness and to stop the persecution.