“China Lies, People Die:” Practitioners of Falun Gong Rally in New York Citys Times Square
Family Members Tell of Loved Ones Imprisoned, Tortured in China for Practicing Falun Gong
In Times Square, more than 500 joined a 3-hour rally, which spanned an entire block on Broadway between 42nd and 41st Street. In Flushing, another 500 paraded down Main Street. There were also smaller rallies throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn’s Chinatowns.
Falun Gong practitioners came from across the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia to participate in the events.
“China Lies, People Die” — An Obsessive Regime Exposed
Rally organizers say the tragedy of the SARS epidemic is not just a ‘misstep’ by the leadership in Beijing, but an endemic problem of the regime — and former leader Jiang Zemin in particular, who is widely believed to still hold the reigns of power in the authoritarian state — placing an obsessive view of power above the interests, and the very lives, of its people.
“The SARS tragedy demonstrates the regime’s willingness to lie and spread propaganda for its own self-interest, even when the lives of millions are at stake,” explains Falun Dafa Information Center spokesman, Mr. Levi Browde. “For almost four years, we have witnessed this regime severely persecute Falun Gong, and then lie and spread propaganda to the world to cover it up. The nature of this regime poses an extraordinary threat not just to China but also to the world.”
Volunteers handed out flyers to passers-by that provided information on the persecution of Falun Gong in China, the U.S. lawsuit against Jiang Zemin for genocide against Falun Gong and the extensive efforts by Jiang Zemin to hide both of these facts from his own people and the world.
The flyers also described on-going efforts to investigate and bring to justice all Chinese officials who participate in the persecution of Falun Gong.
Family Members Tell of Loved Ones Imprisoned, Tortured in China
Among the speakers was the fiancée of Dr. Charles Li, an American who has recently been detained and sentenced in China for alleged attempts to broadcast T.V. programs over Chinese state-run networks exposing the persecution of Falun Gong.
An eight-year-old boy named Weiwei captivated the crowd and police officers with the story of his father, Zhang Yu Hui, who was illegally detained by Chinese authorities for writing news articles exposing the persecution of Falun Gong in China.
Amy Lee, a native of China who escaped to the U.S. after being tortured in a Chinese detention center for her practice of Falun Gong, also told her story.
Falun Gong Songs Echo through Times Square
The first song, “Little Red Soldier,” was written by an American who had traveled to China to raise a banner in Tiananmen Square and call for an end to the persecution of Falun Gong. The song appealed to the conscience of guards on Tiananmen Square, telling them not to follow Jiang Zemin in persecuting Falun Gong.
Many in the crowd listening raised their arms and cheered on the band.
Another song, “Zhen-Shan-Ren” (Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance) told of the dignity and uplifting nature of practicing Falun Gong, relating the personal experience of practitioners in China and around the world.
Falun Gong is practiced in more than 60 countries worldwide.
The highlight of the band’s set, however, was the impassioned “Free Charles Li,” a lyrical story about the plight of U.S. citizen, Dr. Charles Li, who was recently sentenced to three years in China for allegedly attempting to broadcast programs exposing the persecution of Falun Gong over China’s state-run T.V. channels.
