Leader of the UK Liberal Democrat Party: We Join You in Condemning the Persecution

The Rt. Hon Charles Kennedy MP, who is the leader of the Liberal Democrat Party, one of the three main political parties in the UK, wrote to Falun Gong practitioners on 23 May to express his support. The full text of his letter is as follows:

“Thank you for your letter letting me know your concerns about Falun Gong practitioners in China and your hunger strike in protest of their treatment. I am sorry that it has taken me some time to reply to you.

“The Liberal Democrats would of course join you in condemning the persecution of people merely because of their religion.

“I wouldn’t condone all violence or discrimination based on religious hatred. In fact my colleague in the House of Lords, Lord Avebury, has introduced a Religious Offences Private Members Bill. The Bill will abolish the common law offence of blasphemy, and will enable debate on the provision on incitement to religious hatred.

“There is a need for a debate to test opinion on the best way to deal with incitement to religious hatred. Some of us support legislation in this area to parallel the existing offence of incitement to racial hatred. Similar provisions have been on the statue book since 1987 in Northern Ireland, where there have been no difficulties of interpretation or of free speech. Blasphemy has a more limited meaning in law than in the dictionary. This Bill will ensure that all religious group-rather than just Christians-receive equal protection under the law.

“Thank you once again for writing, I appreciate you letting me know your comments and will bear them in mind in future policy discussions.”

A few days earlier, a former minister, Mr Geoffrey Robinson, also wrote to a Falun Gong practitioner and has raised the issue of the human rights of Falun Gong practitioners with the minister responsible at the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office.