United Kingdom: Spreading the Truth at the Northern End of the UK

In July 2009, Falun Gong practitioner Yuyu Williamson made use of her holiday with her family in Shetland at the northernmost end of the UK to tell the people there about the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and that Falun Gong practitioners are being persecuted for following the principles of “Truthfulness-Benevolence-Forbearance”.


Shetland residents sign a petition to condemn the persecution of Falun Gong by the CCP

Shetland is an island at the northern end of the UK. It has beautiful landscapes and the traditional lifestyle is honest and simple. About 22,000 residents live in Shetland with the main industries being fishing and tourism. The petroleum extracted from the bottom of the North Sea is piped there first before being distributed to the rest of the world.

In July, Yuyu and her family visited friends in Shetland and spent one week there. Like other Falun Gong practitioners all over the world, she carries the thought of spreading the truth in her heart all the time. This time she thought she should bring the information about the situation of Falun Gong and the brutal persecution by the CCP to the residents of Shetland. Thus she took with her many leaflets and video-CDs.
When arriving in Shetland, Yuyu applied for a permit from the police station and the Council for her activity. The process was successful. The policemen knew about the persecution of human rights in China and suggested a good site for her activity.

Yuyu got in touch with the local newspaper and radio station. She told them about Falun Gong and the persecution by the CCP. She also sent them some information materials including a letter from Mr McMillian-Scott (the Vice-President of the European Parliament) to Mr Ban Ki-moon (the Secretary-General of the United Nations) to urge the United Nations to initiate an inquiry into the ten-year long genocide against Falun Gong practitioners, a Report into Allegations of Organ Harvesting of Falun Gong Practitioners in China, and an NTDTV programme on the systematic and brutal persecution of Falun Gong practitioners by the “6-10 Office”, an office established especially for this purpose by the CCP.

Yuyu talked with a reporter at the Shetland Times. She mentioned the history of the CCP and that her mother had been imprisoned for six years and denounced as an “anti-revolutionary” during the Culture Revolution. She also explained that the CCP has become more deceptive and trickier than ever and persecutes innocent people even more brutally.

When Yuyu demonstrated the Falun Gong exercises, the reporter was affected by the peaceful and serene atmosphere and could not help saying “very peaceful, very serene”. She then asked Yuyu for the petition and signed it. She took the petition to her colleagues to sign.

The report on the persecution of Falun Gong in the Shetland Times

On the second day, the Shetland Times had a report on the brutal persecution of Falun Gong by the CCP in China. This report also mentioned that a Falun Gong practitioner would collect signatures to resist the persecution on Saturday in front of the bank in the city centre of Lerwick, the capital city of Shetland. Shetland Radio also had a program introducing the signature-collecting activity on Saturday.

At noon time on Saturday 11 July, with the help of her friends, Yuyu set up a stall in the city centre of Lerwick, displaying posters telling people about Falun Gong and the true situation in China. She handed out leaflets to the passers-by, and collected signatures on a petition, which appealed to the UK government and the international societies to investigate and to deter the crime of profiting from organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners by the CCP and together to stop the persecution.

The residents on the island came to sign the petition as soon as the table was set up. A group of secondary school students came to sign and read carefully the informational material. They also took more materials and the petition form for their friends to sign. Their teacher signed too and took a CD copy of Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party. A nurse signed and asked for more informational materials for her colleagues. The sales clerks of the shops nearby also came to read the leaflets and signed the petition. Many people told Yuyu, “This persecution is so terrible!” “Thank you for letting us know about the persecution!”

These kind-hearted people were indignant about the CCP’s crimes. A gentleman could not help coming back after signing to ask, “May I sign it again?!” Yuyu’s return boat ticket was booked for the afternoon of the Saturday, so the signature-collecting activity finished at four o’clock in the afternoon. In the short time of four hours, more than one hundred residents signed and a few hundred leaflets were handed out to the Shetland residents giving them more opportunities to learn more about Falun Gong.

When Yuyu was boarding the boat, the boarding pass examiner was a young lady. When she saw Yuyu’s passport, she said, “I have read the article about you. May I sign it?” Yuyu then took out the petition form and she signed her name on it.