Germany: Protesting at the Chinese Consulate in Munich against the CCP's Persecution of Falun Gong

On April 15th, 2008, the Falun Gong Association in Germany, the German division of the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong in China (CIPFG) and the Internationale Gesellschaft für Menschenrechte (IGFM, International Society for Human Rights) Munich branch jointly held a press conference at the Chinese Consulate in Munich to protest against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) persecution of Falun Gong, its mass arrests in the run up to the Olympics, and its interference with the Divine Performing Arts performance in Munich. Falun Gong practitioner Guo Jufeng who recently came to Germany from China revealed that large numbers of practitioners in his hometown had been illegally detained ahead of the Olympics. He exposed the CCP’s atrocities with his own experience in a labour camp.

The spokesperson for the Falun Gong Association, K. Noll, pointed out in his speech that the CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong practitioners is extremely brutal yet ignored. Before hosting the Olympics, the CCP secretly arrested large numbers of practitioners, intensifying the persecution. Not only practitioners in China are persecuted, practitioners overseas are also interfered with. The recent incident where the Vice Consular himself meddled with the Gala Spectacular performance was an example of the extension of the persecution overseas.

According to Noll, the Chinese culture which is profound and steep in history was completely destroyed within the CCP’s fifty odd years of reign. The Divine Performing Arts aims to revive the Chinese culture that was ruined. Their interpretation of the true Chinese culture terrified the CCP, which was why the CCP tried to sabotage the Gala wherever possible. Noll expressed concern for the Chinese Consulate staff as they are also deceived by the CCP. Noll invited them to attend the Gala performance and see why the traditional Chinese art without Communist Party culture is so popular around the world.

Falun Gong practitioner Guo Jufeng who came from mainland China on the 9th of January this year revealed in his speech that from the 19th of December 2007 to the 15th of January 2008 many practitioners in his home town, Shuan Yashan City, Hei Long Jiang Province, were arrested, including Dong Mingfen, Wang Haiyang, Wang Yao Jun, Liu Yan, etc. He also mentioned that he himself was illegally detained at a labour camp for four hundred fifty days. The guard there once tortured him with an electric baton for five hours, “When they used an electric baton on my neck, I shut my eyes and ground my teeth. I was shaking like a leaf from the continuous electric current. Suddenly I smelt burnt skin.”

According to Guo, today’s protest at the Chinese Consulate was to stop the CCP persecution of Falun Gong and its interference of the Gala performance in Munich. Coming overseas the biggest difference he felt was freedom. For nine years he had not been able to do the exercises or mention Falun Gong in public or freely get in touch with other practitioners. People in the world still know very little about the CCP’s persecution. Even though many foreigners have been to China but they do not know the real China. He hoped everyone would pay attention and help stop the persecution. He also hoped that the Chinese people would see through the true nature of this persecution and the CCP’s harm to Chinese people so that they would withdraw from its evil organisations.

CIPFG German spokesperson Volker Ditz introduced CIPFG and its recent progress in fighting the persecution. He also gave an overview of the Global Human Rights Torch Relay around the world.

The head of IGFM Munich branch, J. Thierack was also present. According to him, almost every week there are various non governmental organisations gathering at the Chinese Consulate or in the city centre to protest against the CCP’s trampling of human rights. He recalled a few recent death cases of Falun Gong practitioners as a result of torture, such as on the 23rd of February, a practitioner in Sichuan was beaten to death. His wife wanted to see his body but was denied access. After vigorous contention, she finally saw the body drenched in blood. She wanted to hire a lawyer but was told that they were not allowed to take Falun Gong cases. Without relatives’ consent, his body was cremated the following day. The process of secret cremation following torture kept being repeated. All we could do is to let people, including journalists and athletes, to know about the truth as much as possible.

PS. According to news by Minghui net from various provinces in mainland China, on the 19th of February 2008 the CCP’s Central Political and Judiciary Committee issued secret orders in the form of a document entitled "Suggestion to maintain social stability and ensure the safety of the Olympics." The document was sent to forty province-level CCP administrative offices and "Offices that deal with Falun Gong." The document essentially orders Party authorities around the country to "intensively deal with problems," "to enhance 'management' of the activities of foreign reporters coming for the Olympics," "to enhance the 'management' of internet and cell phone text messaging", and to "severely crack down on Falun Gong." According to incomplete data, from the end of last year till the 11th of March 2008, there have been one thousand eight hundred seventy-eight cases of illegal detention of Falun Gong practitioners across twenty nine provinces, cities or autonomous regions in mainland China.