Switzerland: The Chinese Communist Regime's Organ Harvesting from Living People Shocks the Residents of Basel

“What are they doing? Is it a real surgical operation?” a group of children were shocked by what they saw. Even though pouring rain started to fall, they stood quietly and waited for a reply. They were puzzled by the scene on Marktplatz Basel, Switzerland where a “surgeon” was “performing an operation” on a man lying on an “operation table” covered with a bloodstained blanket. Beside the operation table was a “Chinese policeman” waving a police baton in his hand.

People reading the information boards carefully

A Falun Gong practitioner explained to the children what they saw was a live demonstration of what has been happening everyday in China. Falun Gong practitioners, who believe in “Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance,” have been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime for more than seven years. Some of the practitioners were victims of organ harvesting for profit. The bodies were subsequently cremated to destroy the evidence. The practitioner told them the purpose of performing the live simulation was to make more people pay attention to this issue and help to stop the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China.

As the rain stopped, more people came to the Marktplatz. Some people waiting for the bus were attracted by the graceful exercise music. They stared at the information desk. A practitioner came toward them and gave them truth material. Some passers-by walked toward the “operating table” from afar, trying to find out what was going on. Practitioners told them about the Chinese communist regime atrocity of organ harvesting and showed them related evidence collected from investigations. There were also people who appeared to be indifferent in the beginning, but became solemn after watching the demonstration, reading the information boards and listening to practitioners’ oral explanations. Knowing that signatures were collected to support the petition for stopping the organ harvesting, a lot of people signed their names at the desk.

A young couple from Germany stood in front of the “operating table’ for a long time. A practitioner explained to them the truth of organ harvesting in China. Referring to the on site demonstration of Falun Gong exercise, the practitioner told them anyone who practices this gentle, slow moving exercise in China may be arrested, cruelly tortured, and even expose himself to the danger of having their organs removed. Their facial expressions turned very serious. After signing their names, they asked for newspapers, which they would help to distribute so that more people could understand the persecution in China. A gentleman told the reporter, “I haven’t heard of such things in the past. My girl friend and I are so shocked that we can hardly speak.” He added, “I think we should do something. The government also needs to apply heavier pressure on the Chinese communist regime. Economically, we cannot rely on China too much.” The lady said, “China is still a communist country. The government doesn’t care too much about its citizens. We will do our best to help you. We wish everything will be fine for you.” They also indicated the importance of making more people understand this information and their willingness to tell their friends in Germany about what they saw today.

A western female, who came from Thailand, told the reporter even though she lived in Asia, this was the first time she heard of Falun Gong and the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. Her comments about the Chinese communist regime organ harvesting from live Falun Gong practitioners were, “They should not have done so. This is not the conduct of humans. We ought to take actions and stop them".

“What I have seen and heard here today is extremely ruthless. I can never imagine such things should have occurred. It is horrible!” After understanding the facts of organ harvesting, a Serbian woman told the reporter that she had never heard of this before and the persecution was so cruel. Referring to the information day activity, she said, “The activity should be held everywhere. It is so sorrowful to know the Falun Gong practitioners’ situation. It is very good to make people pay attention to this event.” She also mentioned that there were a lot of Chinese in her homeland, but almost all of them did not know about this persecution. In the end, she left information about the places in Serbia where Chinese people congregate so that Falun Gong practitioners can clarify the truth to the Chinese people in Serbia.

Two little girls asked why the surgeons could be so shameless to perform the operations. Practitioners told them, according to an elderly military doctor, things like this were handled by the military in China, and a lot of organ harvesting operations were done by military surgeons, who were forced by the authorities. The girls said, “The torture in China is so bad and so relentless. It is defiant of mankind. It is so terrible. How can they carve up live people like that? This is completely unreasonable. We ought to make people know about it, and take actions to stop it".

Night gradually fell on the Marktplatz. The strong contrast between the graceful demonstration of Falun Gong exercises and the brutality of China’s organ harvesting has brought a completely different weekend to the people who were at the square on August 26th, 2006.