[Minghui Net] Because Jiang's group used the self-immolation incident in Tiananmen Square as an excuse to intensify its persecution of Falun Gong San Francisco Bay Area Falun Dafa practitioners took action. On February 6th, between 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM, they made a peaceful appeal and held a press conference in San Francisco in front of the Chinese Consulate, urging the Chinese government to allow a third party to investigate the Tiananmen Square self-immolation incident. The practitioners also demanded the Chinese government immediately stop its persecution of Falun Gong. Practitioners peacefully practiced the exercises in the cold wind. The banners they held up read: "We strongly request a thorough investigation into the truth about the Tiananmen Square self-immolation incident," and "Jiang Zemin: Stop Persecuting Falun Gong." Practitioners also carried a wreath in memory of the139 practitioners who have died as a result of police brutality and torture. Several Chinese and English-language media interviewed practitioners. Practitioners explained to the reporters about the inconsistencies and evident fabrications found in the report of the self-immolation incident in Tiananmen Square [released by the Chinese official Xinhua News Agency]. The practitioners also quoted the report published in the "Washington Post" [Sunday, February 4, 2001] that surmised that Jiang Zemin and his government concocted this plot and that there is no factual truth to it.