Falun Gong Practitioners Assaulted at Information Booths in New York City and London

Two female Falun Gong practitioners were assaulted at public information booths in separate incidents in New York City and London within the span of four days in late February, raising concerns about the safety of volunteers engaged in peaceful outreach activities.

A Falun Gong practitioner was assaulted on the afternoon of Feb. 27, while volunteering at a public information booth in Flushing, Queens. The incident occurred at approximately 1:13 p.m. on Main Street, a busy commercial corridor in New York City.

The booth is organized by the Global Service Center for Quitting the Chinese Communist Party (also known as the Global Tuidang Center), a New York–based nonprofit established by Falun Gong practitioners. The organization operates public outreach sites to provide information materials about the persecution of Falun Gong in China and to assist individuals who wish to renounce affiliations with Chinese Communist Party–affiliated organizations.

According to the victim, Lydia, a New York City resident and volunteer, she was distributing informational materials with her back facing Main Street when an unidentified individual approached from behind and struck her on the back of the head, knocking her to the ground. Her glasses and hat were dislodged in the fall. The assailant fled the scene immediately.

Video footage reviewed by the Falun Dafa Information Center (Faluninfo) shows a man dressed primarily in dark blue clothing, wearing a baseball cap and striped pants, approaching the victim from behind and striking her with his right fist. A second video shows the suspect fleeing the area. He appears to be of East Asian descent, with a mustache, carrying a blue bag and a plastic beverage cup in his left hand; what appears to be a tattoo is visible on the back of his left hand.

Bystanders reportedly urged the victim to contact police. Officers responded to the scene, reviewed surveillance footage, and canvassed the area. A witness described the suspect as an approximately 5-foot-9-inch (175 cm) Chinese male who struck the victim from behind with his right hand.

Due to head pain and elevated heart rate following the assault, emergency medical services transported the victim to a local hospital for evaluation. Medical personnel conducted standard examinations and monitored her blood pressure, which was elevated upon initial measurement and remained somewhat elevated three hours later, though it had decreased. Physicians indicated the elevated readings were likely related to the assault. The victim also reported temporary weakness and numbness in her arms and legs. No visible external injuries were observed.

Assault near the British Museum

Four days earlier, on Feb. 23, a Falun Gong practitioner was violently assaulted near the back entrance of the British Museum in London at around 12:30 p.m., prompting a criminal investigation by London police.

Ms. Zhang Chunping was speaking with Chinese tourists about Falun Gong when a confrontation began with a tour guide who objected to her presence. Practitioners have long maintained a permitted information site near the museum to help visitors—particularly Chinese tourists—learn about the spiritual practice and counter misinformation spread by the Chinese Communist Party.

According to witnesses, a tour bus driver exited the vehicle, snatched Ms. Zhang’s banner, and smashed her mobile phone. When Ms. Zhang attempted to call the police and prevent him from leaving, the driver shoved her to the ground, injuring her head.

The attacker then grabbed Ms. Zhang by the neck and punched her in the eye, knocking her down again before straddling her and continuing to strike her. A bystander intervened and helped Ms. Zhang up, but the driver assaulted her once more before returning to the bus.

As the vehicle departed, the driver reportedly kicked Ms. Zhang’s hand when she tried to block the door. A couple at the scene recorded the incident and provided the footage and the vehicle’s license plate number to police. Authorities have opened a formal criminal investigation.

Prior violent incidents

Since December 2025, Faluninfo has documented at least two additional incidents targeting Falun Gong practitioners at information sites.

On Dec. 24, 2025, a Chinese tourist allegedly kicked over informational materials displayed by 74-year-old retiree Ealine Ho Chak Lin outside Masjid Negara in Kuala Lumpur. Ho had been presenting information about forced organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners in China when the incident occurred as a tour group exited the mosque.

Another incident occurred on Jan. 2, 2026, at Cavill Mall in Gold Coast, Australia. Maryann Leatham, a commercial cookery teacher of Scottish background, said an Australian man confronted her and another practitioner during a public display about the persecution. About 15 to 20 minutes later, the man returned with a woman of Chinese appearance who shouted insults and spat at her, though the spit did not make contact.

Faluninfo has also documented multiple incidents targeting Falun Gong practitioners in New York City in recent years.

In 2022, an individual identified as Zheng Buqiu was charged with a hate crime and fourth-degree criminal mischief for repeatedly vandalizing Falun Gong information stands in Flushing.

On Feb. 18, 2023, officers from the New York Police Department’s 109th Precinct arrested Qi Zhongping in connection with a violent attack on a Falun Gong information booth and the physical assault of a volunteer near New World Mall in Flushing. He was charged with third-degree assault and arraigned in Queens County Criminal Court.

In 2024, an assailant speaking Mandarin allegedly attacked several Falun Gong practitioners during a Mid-Autumn Festival parade in Brooklyn.

On April 29, 2025, a Chinese young man dressed in green and wearing sunglasses reportedly kicked and damaged an information booth structure on Main Street in Flushing, deforming its frame and table.

Faluninfo called on authorities to thoroughly investigate these assaults and ensure that individuals engaging in lawful, peaceful expression are protected from intimidation or violence.

For more than two decades, Falun Gong practitioners around the world have used peaceful means to raise awareness about the persecution in China. Faluninfo believes the recent attacks should not be viewed as isolated incidents but as part of a broader pattern of harassment and intimidation linked to the Chinese Communist Party’s overseas influence and transnational repression.