United Kingdom: Falun Gong Practitioners Protest at the Chinese Embassy in London

December 10th, 2008, was International Human Rights Day and also the 60th anniversary of the United Nations’ publication of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Falun Gong practitioners from the UK went to the Chinese Embassy in London and Manchester to peacefully protest against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s prolonged persecution of Falun Gong. Practitioners, who believe in Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance, hoped people could find out about this unprecedented human rights calamity that is happening in China. The activities called upon the international society to uphold moral conscience and take concrete action as soon as possible to defend human rights and stop the persecution together.

Falun Gong practitioners protesting in London stood for more than two hours in darkness and the chilly wind. The English and Chinese banners that they held out were eye-catching under street lights and attracted attention from passers-by. The banners read: “Falun Gong practitioners are being persecuted to death in China,” “Falun Gong practitioners are being organ harvested alive in China,” “Stop persecuting Falun Gong,” etc. Practitioners handed out leaflets throughout the event.

When interviewed, practitioners attending this event expressed a common hope: to fully expose the CCP's tyranny, trampling on human rights and hopes to help everyone in the world to see through the CCP’s lies and stop the persecution of Falun Gong together.

A British practitioner, Sean, said, “Serious human rights persecution still exists in many countries of the world, especially in China. People have been brutally persecuted for their religious beliefs in history, such as the Christians who were fed to lions. Today, the tragedy of being persecuted for ones beliefs is still happening, which is a sad and serious fact. A totalitarian regime is persecuting its own people while governments of democratic countries turned a blind eye. This should not continue.”

Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Bi who just came from mainland China said, “In China, people are deprived of human rights, deprived of the freedom to practice Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance. Those who do are being tortured. Today is International Human Rights Day. I came here to call for human rights. Since the CCP started the persecution of Falun Gong in July 1999, I went to Beijing to peacefully appeal, to demand freedom of belief and the basic rights of being a good person. As a result, I was immediately thrown into jail and brutally tortured. Police at the jail once told me, ‘Here we do not allow you any human rights. You appealed to have freedom of belief. But we don’t have it here.’ In fact, the CCP philosophy is as long as you want to defend your religious rights or do not give up on your belief it will continue to persecute you even to death. Today, at the Chinese Embassy, I demand the CCP to immediately stop persecuting Falun Gong and give people back their freedom to practice Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance to be a good person.”

Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Zheng, who often clarifies the truth to Chinese people in London Chinatown also participated in the protest. She said straight away that she came to speak up on behalf of Chinese people in the mainland, to fight the CCP human rights persecution, especially the persecution of Falun Gong. Also she would like to encourage fellow countrymen from mainland China: the CCP disintegration is imminent. Only after the CCP dissolves, can there be human rights or freedom of belief in China. During recent months in London Chinatown, she found that having learned the truth more and more Chinese people have quit the CCP and its affiliated organisations. The Sichuan earthquake and poisonous formula milk incidents helped more Chinese people see through the true nature of the CCP and give up on the CCP improving human rights. Nowadays the number of those who quit the CCP is increasing rapidly.

When the event was about to be over, a young policeman, who was on duty for the event, went by. When asked whether he would like to be interviewed, he said that his work did not allow him to be interviewed, but personally he very much supported this event.