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Citizens of Iceland Apologize to Falun Gong for the Actions of the Icelandic Government (Photo)

June 14, 2002 |  

(Clearwisdom.net) [Editor's Comments] Iceland is a free, democratic country. However, the Icelandic government, under pressure applied by Jiang Zemin, dictator and butcher of the Chinese people, recently made an incorrect decision to bar Falun Gong practitioners from entering Iceland for a period of time. When more than 90% of the Icelandic people opposed or protested this decision, leading to open support for Falun Gong practitioners by all the Icelandic media, the Icelandic government decided to shift the pressure to overseas. This has eased the domestic pressure and helped to avert further tension in Iceland. On June 10th, the Icelandic government lifted the detention of over 70 Falun Gong practitioners at the Reykjavik Airport. However, starting from June 11, the Icelandic government ordered IcelandAir to cancel the tickets of almost all Falun Gong practitioners at airports all over the world according to a blacklist of names supplied by them. A seemingly more peaceful Reykjavik Airport doesn't mean that the Icelandic government has accommodated the wishes of its own people and corrected its previous actions towards Falun Gong.

When faced with the Jiang's regime's combination of lies and deceit coupled with scoundrel diplomatic tactics, it was a mistake for the Icelandic government to give in to the evil. For the Fa-rectification Dafa disciples, however, everything that happens in society can be harnessed to benefit Fa-rectification. When we have made timely adjustments, better positioned the relationship between truth-clarification and sending forth righteous thoughts; when we calm our hearts to study the Fa and continue to send forth righteous thoughts with greater effort and higher intensity, we find ourselves with a most valuable opportunity for Fa-rectification. The actions of the Icelandic government while under pressure from Jiang and his gang in the Chinese government have now resulted in extended stays by Falun Gong practitioners--of every ethnicity and nationality--at many major airports and cities around the world. This is a unique, historic moment for the forces of justice all over the world to condemn Jiang Zemin's evil persecution in unison, allowing people to find out the truth of Falun Gong directly from Falun Gong practitioners' words and actions all over the world.

At present, Falun Gong practitioners who have been forced into an extended stay on their trips at airports across the world, those who have been inconceivably denied the right to board their flights by IcelandAir at their departing airports, and those who have managed to enter Iceland, are all proactively clarifying the truth about Falun Gong to the local Icelandic embassy or consulate, IcelandAir, Icelandic human rights organizations, Icelandic media, and those practitioners' own local governments, media, human rights organizations and non-government organizations (NGOs). While those practitioners are eliminating the interference and continuing with the intensive sending of righteous thoughts, they are also making efforts to garner assistance and support from every force of justice and in the process, saving sentient beings.

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This morning (June 13) Morgunbladid, Iceland's largest daily, ran a full-page ad in Chinese, English and Icelandic aimed at members of Falun Gong and foreign visitors of Asian descent. The title of the ad is three big red Chinese characters meaning "Apology".

The text is as follows:

WE APOLOGIZE!

We the undersigned -- common Icelandic citizens -- apologize to members of Falun Gong and other foreign visitors of Asiatic origin for the incomprehensible actions of the Icelandic authorities in connection with the state visit of the president of the People's Republic of China to Iceland.

We assure you that these actions are not in accordance with the wishes of the Icelandic people.

We furthermore strongly condemn the severe human rights violations of the Beijing tyranny on the Chinese mainland as well as China's occupied areas.

Close to 500 individuals from all walks of life--from Congressmen to poets, from blue collar workers to students-- signed the declaration. (The title and the declaration occupied about half of the page and the signatures were on 2nd half of the page)

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We have also heard from Iceland that Iceland's political youth groups will stage a huge protest tomorrow (June 14). The groups will meet in front of Iceland's parliament, the Althing, at 3:30 pm and everyone will have their mouth gagged to emphasize the violation of Iceland's freedom of expression clause in the constitution, as well as to serve as a reminder of human rights violations in China. The group will then march towards a building which is said to be housing Jiang Zemin. People have discussed that they will be wearing banners saying "Falung Gong Hao!" that shouldn't go unnoticed.