(Clearwisdom.net) December 06, 2001 A young former Gold Coast woman has told of [...] being violently arrested and thrown into jail in China two weeks ago for taking part in a pro-Falun Gong demonstration. Kate Douglass, 21, was among 35 Western followers of the banned movement who were set upon by scores of Chinese police in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on November 20.

[...]

Thousands of Falun Gong practitioners are reported to have been killed, tortured or jailed.

Ms Douglass, a former Gold Coast photographer who practiced Falun Gong at Broadbeach before moving to Melbourne a few months ago, joined other foreign followers in Tiananmen Square last month.

They had just unfurled a ['Truthfulness Compassion Forbearance'] banner and started meditating during what Ms Douglass described as a 'peaceful demonstration' when they were surrounded by police.

"We were only there for about 30 seconds before we heard the screeching of police vans," said Ms Douglass.

"They were very, very aggressive and dragged us violently into the vans."

"One Australian had blood coming from his nose and knuckles from being dragged along the ground, and a Canadian practitioner was held down and pummeled in the van."

"Some practitioners suffered broken bones and there was a lot of bad bruising."

Ms Douglass said she and her fellow Falun Gong devotees were locked in a small cell at the police station before being interrogated.

"There were three or four policemen to one practitioner. They were screaming and yelling and being very obnoxious towards us."

"Their attitude was that they were above the law and could do whatever they liked to us."

"Some practitioners were severely beaten and a couple of other women were sexually assaulted." "It was frightening." Ms Douglass said she was slapped on the arms and legs and screamed at when she refused to sign documents written in Chinese.

"It was intimidating but we also knew that, as a large group of foreigners, we had some kind of protection."

After 23 hours in the police lock-up, the Falun Gong followers were released and deported.

Ms Douglass said the experience, while frightening, had made her more determined than ever to practice and promote Falun Gong and expose the oppression of its followers in China.

She and Falun Gong's Gold Coast-based Queensland spokesman, John Andreass, are lobbying Australian politicians to put pressure on China to stop persecuting [Falun Gong].

Category: Falun Dafa in the Media