Transnational Repression Archives - Page 4 of 4 - Falun Dafa Information Center

NEW YORK (FDI) - Mr. Guan Jun Liang, a pro-Communist Chinese leader and chairman of the Unified Organization of Overseas Chinese Associations, was arrested on the evening of Wednesday, June 25, 2003 by New York City police, for his leading role in a group assault against a number of peacefully demonstrating Falun Gong practitioners Monday night (news). Liang was charged with assault on Mr. Jun Li, a Falun Gong practitioner from the New York area. Witnesses say Liang both directed and participated in the attack, carried out by some 40 people. Jun Li suffered multiple injuries, including a black eye and bloody nose. The group assault took place in front of Yi Dong Restaurant in New York's Chinatown where the Falun Gong practitioners were peacefully protesting China's brutal campaign of terror and genocide against all members of the practice in China. Present at the banquet were Yingfan Wang, the departing UN ambassador from the People's Republic of China, and Hongxi Zhang, the Consular-General from the Chinese Consulate in New York City, according to the World Journal. During the assault, witnesses report that attackers shouted "If you are Falun Gong, I will beat you to death!" As Liang was escorted by police following his arrest Wednesday night, he paused and addressed reporters, shouting "Evil cult!" - a term commonly used by Jiang Zemin's regime to defame Falun Gong, both in China and overseas. The attacks appear not to be aimed at specific individuals, but rather at their victims' practice and belief in Falun Gong, characterizing the crime as one of hatred, targeted at a public group.