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La Presse Chinoise Slander Case Opens in Montreal, Canada By Dafa practitioners in Canada
November 14, 2003
(Clearwisdom.net) During the morning of November 10, 2003, on the first day
of the trial, about 200 Dafa practitioners from different Canadian cities came
to the biggest available courtroom, arranged for by the court that hears our
case. Prior to the opening of the trial proceedings, Dafa practitioners quietly
waited in the large hallway outside the courtroom. We know this to be an unusual
battle between righteous and evil. We must display the magnificence and wonder
of Dafa. We know Dafa practitioners are the ones who are the true players in
this game, and that this is a stage set up for Dafa.
The first day
The attorneys on both sides presented their opening statements. Then, in his
concluding remarks, our attorney Mickle Bergman petitioned the judge to consider
the importance of this lawsuit because this complaint is not an isolated case
but involves tens of millions of Chinese people and will affect all Falun Gong
practitioners everywhere.
Many people around the world are paying attention to this trial and its
outcome. This will become a test case for other similar legal actions around the
world. It will become a historical reference point. A solemn atmosphere
prevailed in the court and Dafa practitioners displayed their dignity.
On the opposing side, the defense attorney not only invoked the newspaper's
freedom of speech, but he also said the article in question did not harm Falun
Gong practitioners. The newspaper article only criticized Falun Gong and its
founder, concluding that the actual plaintiff should be our Master and Dafa. He
thereby tried to negate the practitioners' accusations!
Our attorney responded, "If one reads this newspaper report, one would think
Falun Gong practitioners who are standing here are vulgar, immoral people who
are a threat to society. You would conclude that they should be excluded from
society. Do you know why so many practitioners came here? All these
practitioners here have suffered persecution themselves. They were slandered,
and as a result they were hurt. Their families and friends in China live in
constant danger. They came here not only to speak for themselves; they represent
practitioners who cannot come here; they represent all Falun Gong practitioners
in Canada and all Falun Gong practitioners who suffer persecution in China. They
represent all Falun Gong practitioners around the world."
His words were touching, and many in the courtroom were moved to tears. We
realized that although on the surface this is a lawsuit against the newspaper
La Presse Chinoise, it actually deals with our righteous belief, our
comprehension of Fa principles, our attitude toward sending forth righteous
thoughts and with truth clarification.
In the beginning, the defense attorney spoke about freedom of speech, but now
at the conclusion of the trial with his remarks he had directly attacked Dafa
and Master. He also held in his hand the slanderous booklet Jiang Zemin gave to
former U.S. President Bill Clinton. Because we felt a change in the courtroom
atmosphere, many practitioners asked for a day off from work to attend the next
day's proceedings.
The second day
A non-practitioner, a professor who has studied Chinese history took the
stand. This scholar is an expert on Chinese history and culture and understands
the Chinese language. He had been to China over a dozen times and had conducted
on-site studies. In 1999, while in France, he saw reports on the April 25th
Appeal by Falun Gong practitioners. He wanted to learn more about Falun
Gong. After he had returned to Montreal he went to local Falun Gong
practitioners and in succeeding years began an academic study of Falun Gong. He
had attended numerous Fa conferences in North America and had an opportunity to
observe the practitioners planning and organizing Fa conferences.
He testified before the court to the development of qigong in China in the
past few decades and the intrinsic cultural foundation upon which qigong is
based. He also spoke of the outstanding popularity of qigong in the 1940s and
1950s; how it was banned during the Cultural Revolution and it's re-emergence in
the 1980s, and how Falun Gong fared when the government neither encouraged nor
suppressed qigong. He also said that many high-level Chinese government
officials practiced qigong, and that the Chinese government at first supported
Falun Gong and later opposed it. Although he had no experience with the
substance of qi, widespread scientific circles in China had verified its
existence. This professor had also conducted studies with some practitioners in
North America. He showed the results of part of his research in court, which
were relatively objective. At the same time he also testified that Falun Gong is
similar to other qigong practices but it places a heavy emphasis on moral
conduct.
The defense attorney tried to confront our witness on numerous occasions with
questions about the credibility of supernatural abilities and other similar
phenomenon, but our witness cited the example of Jesus' resurrection three days
after his death, which is recorded in the Bible. Our witness didn't repel such
notions. The defense attorney was speechless.
Overall, we think this day went very well. The defense attorney will continue
to cross-examine our witness on Monday.
Comprehension regarding the Fa principles
The defense attorney has time and again brought Zhuan Falun and
several other Dafa books to court and quoted from them lines out of context to
mislead the court. This has raised fear in practitioners' hearts. We worry -
what if we cannot answer the questions properly? This becomes an issue of us
worrying, about not being able to properly explain all that is being asked, and
also that others might not understand us. We are clearly aware, though, that
everything is targeting Dafa and that our conduct will impact everything.
Actually, the Fa principles run through everything, from top to bottom.
Master has used human language to explain the extremely profound Fa principles
in the human world to us. We should therefore be able to answer all the
questions with wisdom and in a language that is comprehensible to common people.
No matter what questions we are required to answer, we will be able to calmly
offer a clear explanation, using examples and analogies.
People in Mainland China live in an environment of atheism; that is why we
always feel they may not understand what we say about higher beings in
relationship to Dafa, but many Western people believe in a God [the latest
statistics show that 70% of the population in North America professes a belief
in a God]. Theism and atheism are fundamentally different and diametrically
opposed. A person in North America would not necessarily be shown prejudice for
being either an atheist or a theist. This comes under one of the rubrics that
the Western society calls democracy and freedom of expression. However, because
we as Chinese do not have enough experience living in and knowledge of culture
in the Western society, we tend to have this or that scruple when we express our
views, which is in fact one of our shortcomings.
The court, of course, is not a forum for academic discussions; however, when
we are asked a question, we can certainly answer it firmly and clearly, in a
scientific way, using analogies that are comprehensible to all people. This is
being merciful, and this is also redeeming people. At the same time we should
not get caught up in these questions. The La Presse Chinoise is the one
being sued for slandering us, and it is not up to the court to judge Falun Gong.
Our answers do not need to go beyond the point we make, and we should always
bring the issue back to the point that it is the other side that is slandering
and attacking us. The fact that we hold different views does not make it legal
to attack us.
Lastly, practitioners sitting in the court's visitors' gallery are there for
support and to help dispel any loopholes. We can share as much as we like and
discuss any different views prior to the opening of a court session. When a
court session has started, though, we should all let go of our own points of
view. No matter what our witnesses say in their answers, we should always
remember that we are one body, and we should use our righteous thoughts to
silently support the practitioner who is answering questions. Even if his/her
answer may not be perfect, we should help to enable what s/he says to have its
due effect and can be understood by common people. We should not worry, but
trust Master's guidance and our fellow practitioners, because they are using
their best side to answer any questions.
Let us become an indestructible, whole body in the Fa that can perfect
everything. Posting date: 11/21/2003 |