United States: Falun Gong Practitioners in New York Protest the CCP's Large-Scale, Olympics-Related Arrests

Falun Gong practitioners in New York held a demonstration in front of the Chinese Consulate at 6 p.m. on July 30th, 2008, to condemn the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for escalating its persecution of Falun Gong using the pretext of the Olympic Games.

In his speech, Song Yun, representating the Falun Dafa Association in New York, denounced the CCP for stepping up its persecution of Falun Gong and claiming the move is necessary for "Olympic security." Based on incomplete statistics, the CCP has recently arrested 8037 Falun Gong practitioners. Practitioners continue to be tortured and killed. Song called for the international community and government officials around the world to pay attention to this devastating human rights disaster, to clearly differentiate good and evil, and to remember not to forsake justice and conscience in the face of profits.

Falun Gong practitioners told about their own experiences with the persecution during the rally.

Ms. Zhang Shuangyin is a resident of Queens County. Her parents, Zhang Xingwu and Liu Pinjie, were illegally arrested from their home by the police in Jinan. She said, "My parents are both 67. They are well-known in their neighborhood for being kind. The local police broke into their home on July 16th, arrested them, and confiscated all their cash. When my mother asked them why, they said, 'Your practising Falun Gong is reason enough.' Shocked by this, my mother had a stroke in the detention centre. The police refused to release her until 24 hours later, when her family paid ten thousand yuan to get her out. My parents actually lost their freedom beginning in 1999. They were both sentenced to forced labour for three years in 2001. In the camp they were once deprived of sleep for 12 days during intensive brainwashing. My father remained steadfast because he believed one's thought couldn't be changed and that Truth-Compassion-Tolerance can't be destroyed even though lives can be.

"I will seek help from my congressman, President Bush, all my friends, and kind people everywhere to rescue my parents and end the persecution of Falun Gong. The CCP is the biggest evil force and threat to world peace."

Ms. Zhang Yijie is a former official in the Chinese Ministry of Commerce. She was fired for practising Falun Gong and was imprisoned seven times. She was sent to a forced labour camp for 27 months in 2001. She was moved to tears when she told about her experiences in the camp. "I was once deprived of sleep for 18 days. I don't like to recall that painful experience, nor can I find the words to describe it. I was forbidden to talk to anyone. Eventually my reactions became very slow." After she came to the US, she said her only goal was to expose the CCP's evil nature to the world until the day justice reigns.

Mr. Wang Zhiyuan, representative of the World Organization to Investigate Persecution of Falun Gong (WOIPFG), said that the crimes committed by the CCP against Falun Gong practitioners were too numerous to record. "The escalating persecution before the Olympic Games and the Party-directed attacks on Falun Gong practitioners in Flushing, NY, are indications of its upcoming collapse. Its days are numbered."

Dr. Gao Dawei, representing the Global Service Center to Quit the CCP, said the CCP was the source of all disasters for the Chinese people. "Disintegrating the CCP is the only way to completely end the persecution. Spreading the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party and promoting withdrawal from the Party is the only rational and peaceful way to end the persecution." Dr. Gao warned those who still had illusion about the CCP, such as the Western politicians who thought the CCP would improve by holding the Olympic Games and the members and officials of the CCP, not to assistant it in committing crimes. "They should stand on the side of the justice." Dr. Gao read aloud the telephone number of the Service Center to Quit the CCP and called for the employees of the Chinese Consulate to quit the Party and its youth organisations to be safe.