Ireland: Speeches at the Falun Gong Rally, Dublin, July 20th 2002

Friends, I’m very sorry I have to rush immediately because I’m speaking in support of the Irish transport workers who have lost their jobs, and I want to take part in the protest there.

But I want to be here to express my solidarity with the oppressed activists in China, particularly the practitioners of Falun Dafa, who are witnessing and experiencing a horrific campaign of persecution, torture and murder in the worst traditions of that particular Stalinist regime.

Unfortunately also, we have, within China, not just practitioners of the Falun Gong but also workers who want to set up independent trade unions are likewise persecuted, as are people who stand for genuine socialism; which is the protection and the vindication of freedom and free expression - that is true socialism not the totalitarian horror that is practiced by the regime in China. I think it is incredible that in this year, 2002, we still have a regime which insists on trampling on basic fundamental freedom, the freedom of people to think according to their likes and to practice according to that thinking.

All the Falun Gong people wish is to be able to exercise their beliefs in peace and in tolerance and in forbearance, and in solidarity and cooperation with other people within China. Surely that is a very, very basic and minimum requirement.

I call on the Irish government in particular to step up its pressure on the Chinese regime with regard to this matter. I have to say, as a member of the Dáil for the Socialist Party, I am not happy with the stance that the Irish government is taking with regard to China; only two weeks ago in the Dáil, I spoke very strongly against a new agreement worked out between the Irish government, the EU and the regime in Hong Kong which is to be part of China; which can allow for people who, for example, fail an asylum application in this country to be forcibly returned there. I think that is an absolute scandal and I spoke very strongly against that in the Dáil.

Finally let me call once again for the ending of the persecution, and the torture, and the murder. Let me call for the right of the people in China to practice whichever religion they so choose or whichever beliefs they so choose to exercise. I want to call also for the right of those Chinese citizens who are abroad who have been associated with the Falun Gong, or indeed with other beliefs that the regime does not approve [of], that they have the full right to return to their homeland to visit their families without fear of persecution or imprisonment as is the case at the present time.

In particular I call on the Irish government to insist that one of your number here, [Ms.] Dai Dongxue have the full right to return to visit her family who are the subject of persecution, so that she can visit them as is a basic human right. It is the basic minimum of compassion, and then return [from China] as she wishes safely without harassment or without persecution. Finally I continue to press for these beliefs, even though I’m a small voice in the Irish government, I will add that voice to yours in order to continue this campaign internationally until the persecution and the repression ends and Falun Dafa supporters, free trade unionists, genuine socialists and people who wish to exercise whatever beliefs that are not in conflict and are not violent, to practice them freely in China.

Go raibh mile maith agaibh! [Ed. Note – This is Irish for Thank you very much], and I wish you the best for the rest of the day, I am sorry I cannot continue with you, because of the other protests, thanks very much.

Well thank you very much. Its nice to see old friends again and I think that the last time many of us met was when we were welcoming Zhao Ming back from his ‘travels’: his imprisonment in China, and the thing that struck me forcefully on that happy occasion was how, at the very moment of his greatest exhilaration and happiness, Zhao Ming pledged himself never to forget or abandon those people left behind in China who are the subject of persecution and I think its very important that we remember that message.

I have to say myself, I’ve just come out of a very difficulty election and I’m glad to say that I’ve retained my seat, but its pretty tiring and I scheduled this afternoon just to sit and relax and enjoy myself. But thinking of Zhao Ming in the camp I thought: how can I be comfortable and easy, and relaxed, and self indulgent knowing what I know of what is happening to the family and friends of the people I’ve come to have great affection and respect for.

So here we are, trying to protest against a very powerful regime in the interest of a group of non-violent people who are not a member of a cult; and as I said when we welcomed Zhao Ming back, it would take a genius, a satirical genius such as Jonathan Swift to explain how a government can be threatened by Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance. This is what Falun Gong stands for, and it tells you something very serious and very interesting that a government such as the government of China could feel so threatened by these decent human virtues to which we all aspire.

Now we’re here today on behalf of Dai Dongxue, who is a Chinese citizen, I’m glad to say that she has applied for Irish citizenship too and she may well be, and will hopefully [be], among those people who come to our shores and enrich our life and our culture and our industry. But she is also aware of her own family; her two sisters have been imprisoned, her brother has been imprisoned, her mother [has] died, probably partly due to the strain of the situation. And Dai Dongxue was refused permission to do that most fundamental thing; to be present at the burial of a beloved parent. And I call today, along with Joe Higgins, on the Irish government to make a strong representation to stop this kind of persecution, intimidation and forcing into a kind of illegitimate exile, of a remarkable and brave young woman.

Let me just say why I have come to speak a little about the situation, so we will know exactly how serious it is. Over a 100,000 Falun Gong practitioners have been illegally arrested. More than 500 sentenced to prison terms for up to 18-years! Eighteen years for practicing humanity, compassion and tolerance. You don’t get that for murder in this country! Then we have people sent to mental hospitals to ‘cure’ them from Falun Gong! Well let us just remember, I recall in this country 20 years ago or so when somebody from the opposite side of the Chinese debate got into difficulties here, and he was a member of the Mao Tse Tung group here, and he was sent by his Irish parents to be treated in an Irish mental hospital.

So we are not dealing with something that is just Chinese. All groups who feel threatened can behave in this unpleasant way if individuals like ourselves, and organizations such as yours and such as Amnesty International don’t prevent them. So I want to wish you well on the march, and I just want to say in my most impeccable Mandarin: FALUN DAFA HAO.

Chinese government - were told that they are respectable; Chinese government have now joined the World Trade Organisation; Chinese government, we are told that now it is acceptable for the Chinese government to [hold] the Olympic Games. Chinese government we are told is now a key trading partner of Europe There are over 70 Irish businesses, big businesses in China.

We know the truth behind this new found Chinese respectability; we know the truth that there are thousand of people in prison in China today for their peacefully held religious or political beliefs. There are thousands more who have been tortured over the last year, thousands more who have been executed.

We know the truth behind the new found Chinese respectability through people like Zhao Mei Yong, a man who was tortured with electric shock treatment in a psychiatric hospital for 7 months because of trade union activities.

We know the truth behind the Chinese respectability through people like Zhang Chang Yan. A man who has been sentenced to 10 years in a prison factory for his trade union beliefs and who now does his hard labour in shackles because he complained about the long working hours.

We know the truth behind China through people like Ming Ma; a woman who, it has been said, has been sentenced to prison for 6 years for the crime of watching a video of the Dalai Lama.

And we know the truth about Chinese respectability through people like Zhang Ming, a Falun Gong practitioner who died after six days in police custody and [was] tortured to death.

We also know that rallies like these help people like this. This time last year, we had mainly protested for the release of Zhao Ming, and he’s with us here today. We look forward to this time next year, where I hope to be joined by two more Dublin students, held in China for their Falun Gong beliefs; Feng Liu and Fang Yang, students from Dun Laoighre who we hope will be with us next year

Not until China releases all of its spiritual and political prisoners [and] stops the torture, will really find respectability and acceptability in the international community.

Thank you very much.

Good afternoon everyone. I am Zhao Ming. I am the trinity student that has been helped by you so much, helped by the Irish government, Irish human rights organisations and many kind-hearted people from all works of life in the Irish society. Now I am back! Thank you Ireland

However, at this time there are still many other Zhao Ming’s that are still in jail in China. Being persecuted for their beliefs in Falun Gong. I call on, call for your help to extend your help to all of these Falun Gong practitioners who are still being persecuted severely in China.

Last month, I got a message from China, that my friend Mr. Chentao Lin, who is still in the labour camp that I was in, was tortured into losing his sanity by electric shocking.

And after my return, I also learned that my schoolmate Mr. Zhao Yan, was… who graduated from the same university as me, and was caught doing Falun Gong exercises together with me, [was] tortured to death in his hometown Gansu province, northwest China. There are many cases - there are many Falun Gong practitioners who are suffering more severely than me.

Please extend your help to them as well.

And also this month, in Hong Kong, there’s a legal case that 16 Falun Gong practitioners are charged with blocking [the] pavement when they [held a] peaceful appeal [against the regimes’ persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, which are jailed unlawfully in China].

Please extend your help to all people, all the practitioners who are unlawfully detained.

Thank you. Please walk with us, thank you.

Lady’s & gentlemen, thank you very much for coming here today to support the cruelty and the well-known friend, one of my favourite patients. This man has been [...] exiled, this man has been in the prison camp.

[...]

For all the people in pain, who have died for a cause they believed in. We as Irish people and from the whole world support them; we have to do this because we are human beings.

The Irish Foundation for torture survivors and tortured people, in full, we are trying to help the Department of Justice, the Department of Foreign Affairs. It could be said what we are doing, what we want in life is for all human beings.

The value held by anybody else’s life, is as blessed as my life. The soul of a person in mind and body is the same soul as my soul. And I do understand; as a person who has been tortured by other lives in South Africa - I’m upset by [seeing] these people’s faces.

And we are the people who can actually do something about it, and we will do something about it; As long as the people here can understand that we have tears in our eyes, hurt in our hearts.

We are here to support this group and to release all the people who’ve been detained in China, in Hong Kong, worldwide.

And I would appreciate if we could stand up for all of these people who have been detained without the right to be detained and tortured for keeping the truth.

Thank you for supporting this group.

I would also like to ask everybody, because this what dream [...] we have to do to be able to offer you all help where they need to support them; to help to guard God’s as well because they would look after us as well. The main thing is that we have to guard what we [believe in].

God bless you all.

Transcribed by Irish Practitioners.

[Transcribers Note: Due to poor audio quality, some of the details above may be incorrect. Please refer to the audio file above for the original speeches. Any comments on improving these speeches are welcomed.]