Director of Friends of Falun Gong, "This will be recorded in history as another great, nonviolent movement that changes the world"
Hello ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for being here today. I'm Alan Adler, and I'm the Executive
Director of Friends of Falun Gong. People always ask me why I'm a friend of Falun Gong and why I spend so much time and energy on a
group of people who meditate. My wife, my kids, my coworkers and the local shopkeepers ask me why. I
tell them that I support the practitioners of Falun Gong because for an individual to live one's
life in accordance with Truth, Compassion and Tolerance is a beautiful thing; not only for the
people who practice but for all those that share the planet with them. I support the courage and
conviction in each of those individuals who go to appeal on Tiananmen Square and I admire them as
great heroes. I admire their perseverance, I admire their inner peace and wisdom, and I admire that
they choose to practice virtue and goodness in a world where greed and self-interest is the order of
the day. I am an American and I do some business in China. I'm saddened to see how suspicion, fear and
corruption have seeped into the whole society under Jiang Zemin's regime. The reality of China today
is very different from most people's perception of the country and the one painted by those in
power. Today I would like to ask everyone who has any business dealings with China to check
carefully that your vendors and manufacturers are ethical and that they don't use slave labor from
the laogai, or Chinese gulags. A vast number of innocent Falun Gong practitioners are being held in
these "labor re-education camps" -- they are housewives and schoolteachers, engineers and
professors. If there's anything the Falun Gong practitioners have taught me, it's that there's more to life
than seeking profit. There's integrity. What goes around comes around. I think the corporate world,
at least here in the US, is beginning to face that reality this year. To the media here today, I would like to ask you to tell the story of Falun Gong to the world.
There's an incredible drama unfolding here with men and women who are completely unarmed and
nonviolent, standing up to oppression against the dictator of the most populous nation on earth.
This dictator has behind him the full force of the military, police, and the massive Chinese
propaganda machine. Some say these practitioners are foolish, but I think that they will prevail,
because of the power of their spiritual faith. This is the power of the people at its purist, with
no political agenda, just a will for freedom. It's time this story was told. To the government officials here today who have extended their support, I would like to say a
heartfelt 'Thank you.' You are good friends to Falun Gong practitioners everywhere. To those who
are still figuring this whole situation out, show the world what America is made of. What makes us
strong is our own freedom and belief in the principles written into our Constitution. I am not
exaggerating when I say this is a matter of life and death. Maybe a word from you will make some
government official think twice before ordering a raid on someone's home. And it's no longer China's
internal issue -- the many American, European, and Asian Falun Gong practitioners and their
supporters here today can attest to that. Believe me when I say, like Gandhi's quest in India and
South Africa's apartheid, this will be recorded in history as another great, nonviolent movement
that changes the world. I think we all have a responsibility to do the right thing now that it's
been brought to our attention. We cannot turn our backs. And last but not least, to the Falun Gong practitioners here today -- I salute you! You've stood
beside your fellow practitioners in China when no one else would listen and you've given them hope
and encouragement. I am constantly amazed at your energy and persistence as volunteers. In these
turbulent and cynical times, you're downright refreshing. Letting the world know what's going on
under the persecution while at the same time holding full-time jobs to support your families can't
be easy. It's been a long three years for you, I'm sure. One day, hopefully in the not too distant
future, all of this will be over just like a bad dream, and you can be proud that you stood by your
principles, just as I am so proud to be a friend of Falun Gong. Thank you.
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