(Clearwisdom.net) The Chinese New Year Parade in San Francisco was
held on the evening of February 11, 2006. Due to pressure from the Chinese
Communist regime, Falun Gong's application for participating in the parade was
turned down by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce.
On the day of the parade, to protect the practitioners' right of freedom of
speech, the San Francisco police provided a place on the parade route for the
practitioners to express themselves. ABC, NBC, CBS and other TV networks, as
well as the Associated Press, sent reporters to interview practitioners. Many
people took pictures of the practitioners' exercise demonstration.
 
Reporter from ABC interviewing practitioner |
Reporter from CBS interviewing practitioner |
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Videotaping the practitioners exercise demonstration
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At a little after 2:00 p.m., the practitioners went to their designated area.
With golden exercise outfits on, the practitioners demonstrated the exercises
and the waist drum performance periodically. Some women practitioners danced in
colorful costumes, and young practitioners participated, as well. Practitioners
put up all kinds of banners on the barricades to introduce Falun Gong, condemn
the persecution by the Chinese Communist regime, and call for an end to the
persecution that has been extended to outside of China.
Many spectators watch the practitioners |
Spectators watch the young practitioners' dance |
Flower basket dance |
Young practitioners performing the ribbon dance |
Chinese traditional drum |
Spectators watching and taking pictures |
The Chinese Chamber of Commerce Extends the CCP's Persecution of Falun Gong
in San Francisco
Falun Gong spokeswoman Sherry Zhang pointed out that the organizer of the
parade was directed by Rose Pak, who carried out the persecution against Falun
Gong in San Francisco. The Falun Gong group has applied for participation in the
Chinese New Year Parade since 2000 and was rejected in every year except for
2004. The application was approved in 2004, but only because the application was
done under the name Falun Dafa instead of Falun Gong, and the review board
didn't know that the two were synonymous. Ever since the persecution against the
Falun Gong started in 1999, Rose Pak and other pro-communist persons have
supported the Chinese Communist regime's persecution of Falun Gong in the Bay
Area.
Sherry Zhang said that Rose Pak is a personal friend of Jiang Zemin, the main
culprit of the persecution of Falun Gong. Personnel from the Chinese Consulate
in San Francisco have even pronounced her as a tool in the persecution of Falun
Gong.
After the persecution started in 1999, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce held a
conference against Falun Gong in San Francisco. Practitioners were beaten up by
a group of thugs when they were doing the exercises and distributing
truth-clarifying fliers at the corner of Chinatown Park in San Francisco in
October 2000. A witness said that after police apprehended the perpetrators,
Rose Pak intervened, and eventually the perpetrators were released.
According to a report from the Sing Tao Daily on November 23, 2001, Rose Pak
was praised and rewarded by the Chairman of the CCP Jiang Zemin, for hindering
the passage of a resolution to protect Falun Gong practitioners' human rights in
San Francisco. When she visited China, she received a welcome and treatment
befitting visiting heads of state.
In February 2002, former Mayor of Beijing Liu Qi and Deputy Governor of
Liaoning Province Xia Deren were sued by practitioners in San Francisco for
torture and crimes against humanity. According to court records, Rose Pak sent a
letter in the name of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce to the judge on their
behalf. In the end, the Federal Court found Liu Qi and Xia Deren responsible for
the charges.
Sherry Zhang pointed out that Rose Pak spread rumors before the parade,
saying that Falun Gong would "stir up trouble". After Falun Gong's
application for the parade was rejected, the media in the Bay Area paid a great
deal of attention to the issue and interviewed the practitioners.
Sherry said, "Ever since the Chinese Communist regime started to
persecute Falun Gong, they have kept making up lies to try to maintain the
persecution. But the truth cannot be hidden forever. Each time they assault
Falun Gong with lies, it backfires. Today, all of these prominent media outlets
came and saw the peace and beauty of Falun Gong. Didn't this counteract what
they were trying to do?"
Spectators Show Their Support
Many spectators came and complimented our performance, and expressed that we
belonged in the parade.
A spectator named Donna watched the practitioners demonstrating the exercises
and traditional Chinese dances from the other side of the street. She said that
she came from Sacramento for the Chinese New Year Parade after two hours of
driving, and after seeing the Falun Gong group and the beautiful dances, she
wanted to know more about Falun Gong. She said, "This group can participate
in any parade in San Francisco except for the Chinese New Year Parade. I'm
shocked."
Shanna from San Jose expressed that she knew about the persecution against
Falun Gong. She said, "I know why the Chinese Communist regime would
persecute Falun Gong. I am here to watch the parade. I think every group should
be allowed in the parade, and so should the Falun Gong group. I know that people
don't have human rights under the Chinese Communist regime. Not allowing Falun
Gong group in the parade is awful, and this is in the U.S."
Practitioner Zhang Hong expressed that the Lunar New Year is something all
Chinese people celebrate. She said, "Even though we didn't walk in the
parade, we demonstrated peacefully to people the exercises of Falun Gong and
traditional Chinese culture. We displayed a cultivator's sense of
"Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" and shared our compassionate
smile with everyone. We just want to let people know what Falun Gong really is.
We simply practice "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance"."
Seeing practitioners distributing introductory materials, a local resident
indicated that not allowing people who follow
"Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" to participate is wrong. He also
said that the practitioners' performances were very touching.
The practitioners kept doing the demonstration to show people the beauty of
Falun Dafa till the end of the parade. Two patrol officers gave their thumbs-up
to the practitioners when they passed by.
Regarding the discrimination by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, attorney
Joseph Breall, who represents the practitioners, stated that a lawsuit against
the Chinese Chamber of Commerce is expected to commence in April of this year.
