|
The Chinese Media in Canada Pays Attention to "April 25th Appeal" Activities Held by Falun Gong Practitioners
By a Falun Gong practitioner in Toronto (Clearwisdom.net) On the fifth anniversary of the "April 25th
Appeal" event, Falun Gong practitioners in Toronto, Canada held a series of
activities themed ""Revealing the Truth Behind April 25th, Bring Jiang
Zemin to Justice." The local Chinese media reported on the activities. The
practitioners held a candle light vigil in front of the Chinese consulate in
Toronto on April 24, and on April 25 they had a car parade and other activities. The Chinese media pays attention to the "April 25th
Appeal" activities Around 10:00 a.m. on April 25, New Age Chinese TV interviewed
Falun Gong practitioners despite the rain and took photographs of the parade. The parade started around 2:00 p.m. the more than 60 decorated vehicles
making up the bulk of the group. The motorcade first drove around the downtown
area and Chinese communities for more than one hour. Banners reading "Bring
Jiang Zemin to Justice;" "Stop the Persecution;" "End the
Lies" and "Falun Dafa is Good" hung from the sides of the
vehicles. Yellow flags and colorful balloons floated above the cars and made the
motorcade stand out under the gray sky. After 3:00 p.m., the motorcade went to Scarborough, Richmond Hill, Moncton,
Mississagau and other cities. These small, densely populated cities include lots
of Chinese residents. Most of the ancestors of these Chinese residents in those
areas had moved to Canada from Hong Kong. These people usually don't have the
opportunity to run into a Falun Gong practitioner or read information about
Falun Dafa. The people, many of them friendly, read the banners. Some waved at
the practitioners. Afterwards, New Age Chinese TV aired a positive report on the parade,
which stated the cause of "April 25th Appeal" and the progress of
lawsuits against Jiang Zemin. The reporter faithfully quoted Falun Gong
practitioners' words and also showed photos of large banners attached to the
cars. Radio Free Asia also participated in the two-day activity and filed
positive reports. Statement from an "April 25th Appeal" witness Ms. Wang was a witness of the "April 25 Appeal," and she also
participated in the candle vigil and the parade. Ms. Wang told a Minghui
reporter what she saw during the "April 25th Appeal." She said on April 25, 1999, premier Zhu Rongji represented the government and
gave Falun Gong practitioners a satisfactory response. The practitioners left
peacefully and didn't leave a single piece of garbage and even picked up
cigarette butts the police had left. During the appeal, Falun Gong practitioners
displayed a high degree of self-discipline and were always considerate of other
people. Never in her wildest dreams did she expect the Jiang's group to twist around
Falun Gong practitioners' good intentions falsely claiming, "the group
attacked Zhongnanhai." Jiang's political group later used the appeal as an
excuse to persecute Falun Gong. Ms. Wang saw premier Zhu Rongji and heard his response. She believes the
persecution of Falun Gong is the sole intention of Jiang and his accomplices,
while the majority of Chinese government officials oppose this persecution and
they know Falun Gong benefits the society and the people. According to statistics, at least 958 Falun Gong practitioners have been
tortured to death during the last five years. Jiang's group used and is using
the government machinery to attack Falun Gong. They staged the
"Self-immolation" in Tiananmen Square to incite hatred against Falun
Gong. Jiang's group's actions have caused immeasurable loss to the Chinese
society and tremendous harm to the Chinese people. If the persecution is not
ended as soon as possible, it will affect the future of the Chinese people. Ms. Wang also mentioned that various Falun Gong practitioners have filed
lawsuits against Jiang Zemin in several countries including Canada, Germany, and
Belgium, and they have accused the main perpetrators of genocide, crimes against
humanity and torture. Ms. Wang said the persecution should stop immediately and
the world should bring Jiang Zemin to justice. Ms. Wang continued that, since the weather was not at its best in Toronto at
the fifth anniversary of the "April 25th Appeal," it caused
inconveniences for the parade and other activities and was also the reason for
postponement of the mock trial. Falun Gong practitioners in Toronto will
nevertheless continue to expose Jiang group's crimes and try these people in the
court of morality and in the court of people's hearts. The historic appeal that
took place five years ago, along with Falun Gong practitioners' great compassion
and tolerance will be forever remembered in the history as well as in people's
hearts. |