United States: Falun Gong Practitioners Gather at Times Square, New York to Condemn the Mass Arrests in China

Following the protest against the Chinese Communist regime's intensifying the persecution of Falun Gong under the pretext of the Olympic Games last Wednesday in front of the Chinese Consulate, Falun Gong practitioners gathered in the famous Times Square in downtown New York City on the evening of August 6th, 2008. They held a peaceful rally to expose the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) violent persecution of Falun Gong practitioners and call upon people in New York to pay attention to the atrocities taking place in China.

Falun Gong practitioners hold a rally at Times Square on 42nd Street to expose the CCP's violent persecution of Falun Gong

Falun Gong practitioner Yi Rong said that the CCP has intensified the persecution of Falun Gong under the pretext of the Olympic Games. According to incomplete statistics, from the end of last year to June 30th, 2008, there have been 8037 illegal arrests of Falun Gong practitioners. Serious incidents that have resulted in Falun Gong practitioners' disability and even death have been continually occurring. Since July, 2008, the related cases published on Falun Gong websites have kept increasing. The CCP's frenzied arrests of practitioners have been increasing day by day. Of those arrested, over 500 practitioners were in Beijing, and at least 30 of them were sentenced without trial to forced labour for more than two and a half years.

Flushing resident Zhang Shuangying's parents have recently been arrested in China. On the evening of July 16th, 2008, instructed by local 610 Office, the police from Weijiazhuang Police Station in Jinan City, Shandong Province broke into Ms. Zhang's parents' home and arrested her father, Prof. Zhang Xingwu and her mother Ms. Liu Pinjie. The police also ransacked their home and took away many personal belongings, cash and bank cards. Ms. Liu displayed symptoms of a serious illness and could not take care of herself. Local police extorted her of 10,000 yuan after detaining her 24 hours and released her on medical parole. The police detained Prof. Zhang Xingwu, and threatened to sentence him to a lengthy term. On August 6th, 2008, the police of Weijiazhuang Police Station duped Ms. Liu into going to the station and then detained her. During the physical check-up, the police took no notice of her high blood pressure and being on medical parole, and put her into a detention centre for a month.

Ms. Zhang Shuangying said that Jinan City's 610 Office has recently arrested many practitioners under the pretext of the Olympics. World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (WOIPFG) has issued a notice of "investigating Shandong Province 610 Office head Dong Haitao and Liu Jie from the Jinan City Police Department." The notice once again warns agents from the 610 Office who are continuing the persecution of the innocent practitioners, that it is inevitable that those responsible for the persecution will be punished by law. They should stop doing evil deeds before it is too late and immediately release all arrested Falun Gong practitioners.

Falun Gong spokesperson Zhang Erping said that the CCP sentenced Falun Gong practitioners to lengthy terms, which shows that the persecution of Falun Gong has nothing to do with their claim to guarantee a "harmonious Olympics." Falun Gong practitioners pose no threat to the Olympics. The Beijing Olympics is nothing but an excuse used by the CCP to put Falun Gong practitioners into prisons.

A representative of victims of the violent assaults against practitioners in Flushing, Dr. Wang Wenyi, said that the world's people have seen that the CCP has not lived up to its promise to improve the human rights it made when it was awarded the Olympics in 2001. People must be clear that the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong reflects its evil nature. Only by not being deceived by the CCP's lies and disintegrating the CCP, can we end the Communist Party's persecution of kind people.

Flushing resident Marco Jepulrecia, who passed by the rally venue, said that he had seen the CCP's accomplices attack Falun Gong practitioners on the streets of Flushing, and heard those insulting words. He said, "I came from a former Communist country. I have a question for the CCP's accomplices: 'Why did you come to the United States? You should stay in China, not come here to persecute Falun Gong cultivators, and promote communism.'"

"I'm outraged that Ms. Judy Chen, the mother of two American soldiers serving at the front was beaten in Flushing. I believe that the United States will never accept communism," Marco said, " This peaceful protest that I see today is very good. It should be seen in many more places, particularly in Flushing. It can help more people learn the truth."