Barometern Oskarshamns-tidningen (Swedish newspaper): Free from detention in China

By Karolina Ekstrand

February 20, 2002

Tuesday evening Ulrik Dahlgren arrived in Malm from China, where he's been in detention for appealing for Falun Gong.

[...]

"The action was planned for Tuesday. When we got off the subway at Tiananmen Square and went up to the square the police stood there waiting for us. They searched us and confiscated the banners we had brought with us. We tried to run with the policemen hanging along with us as we shouted 'Falun Dafa is good' in Chinese," says Ulrik Dahlgren.

40-50 Westerners, after being arrested in Tiananmen Square, were pulled into police vans and taken to the police station.

At the police station we continued chanting 'Falun Gong [Dafa] is good' and singing a song that is named like that. [...] All together we were 30-40 Westerners there. [...] Several got beaten up. Two policemen pulled Ulrik Dahlgren in the legs causing the trouser being torn. He was also kneed in the chest in several occasions. After an hour everyone was taken to a hotel near the airport. [...]

Hunger strike

After more than a day and a night Ulrik Dahlgren and the other five Westerners who refused to give their names or their nationalities were sent back to the detention centre. [...]

"We refused and therefore we decided to hunger strike to show that we didn't want to follow their orders. We wanted to talk to the Embassy. Sunday we finally we got response and they promised we would go home soon."

Ulrik Dahlgren was finally allowed to leave China...

Higher purpose

Why does one do such a thing when one knows the chance of being arrested is large and that it isn't unusual to be tortured?

"There is a higher purpose. If I can get a few people to understand the truth and become kinder human beings it is worth it."

But is it worth dying for?

I don't see it that way. For me it is about get an end of the persecution and to show the Chinese authorities that there are even Westerners who practice Falun Gong. I don't go there to sacrifice my life. I do it for a higher and a noble thing.

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