American Support for Falun Gong's Peaceful Resistance to the Persecution in China

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American Support for Falun Gong's Peaceful Resistance to the Persecution in China

August 05, 2017 | By Falun Gong practitioners in the U.S.A.

(Minghui.org) People from all walks of life all over the world have been vocal in their support of Falun Gong practitioners’ recent efforts to call for an end to the persecution in China. A newspaper in Pennsylvania, a university student government body in Florida, and legislative aides in Michigan recently added their voices to the appeal.

Philadelphia Sunday Sun: “The largest religious persecution in the world today”

The local newspaper Philadelphia Sunday Sun covered the Falun Gong rally on July 23 in the article “Rally to call to end 18-year persecution of Falun Gong in China.”

Snapshot of the newspaper article

The article says: “With government estimates of as many as 100 million practicing Falun Gong, China’s leader Jiang Zemin outlawed the peaceful practice in July 1999. Unable to crush the spirit of millions who had experienced improved health and positive life changes from Falun Gong, the practice has been subject to well-documented egregious human rights violations. The scale and scope of abuses taking place make this possibly the largest religious persecution in the world today.”

The article also told the story of Ms. Lichun Shen, who was imprisoned for her belief in Falun Gong for 11 years. She was tortured and forced to do hard labor in prison.

University of South Florida Student Government Senate passes resolution calling for the end to the persecution

The University of South Florida (USF) Student Government Senate passed a resolution on June 30, calling for an end to the persecution and the release of practitioner Ms. Deng Cuiping, who is the mother of a USF employee and was recently sentenced to six years.

Student senator Spencer Tate (left) and Lu Yuanqing, a USF employee whose mother Ms. Deng Cuiping is in prison in China.

Previously, Ms. Deng's daughter Lu Yuanqing, a USF employee, was helped by the federal congressmen from Florida—Dennis Ross, Bill Johnson, Gus Bilirakis, and David Valadao—who wrote a joint letter to the Chinese president, requesting the release of imprisoned Falun Gong practitioners.

Lu Yuanqing started to collect signatures on a petition on the USF campus in April and talked to the student senator Spencer Tate, who was willing to sponsor a resolution to help her.

Tate quoted Martin Luther King, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” and said that he was happy to be able to help Lu Yuanqing and her mother.

The Student Senate of USF resolution

Michigan State representative and staff members condemn forced organ harvesting in China

The documentary Human Harvest was shown at Michigan's state capitol on June 13. Winner of the prestigious Peabody Award, the film documents the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) forced organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners.

Several lawmakers saw the film, which examines evidence collected by two Canadian human rights activists, David Kilgour and David Matas, and substantiates the existence of forced organ harvesting in China and the huge profits to be made on the organ market.

Most of the attendees said that they had already heard that Falun Gong practitioners were being persecuted in China but were shocked to learn about the forced organ harvesting. Several said that it reminded them of the Nazi behavior. One legislative researcher suggested that people talk to their representatives and ask them to pass laws similar to those passed in Israel that make it a crime to travel to China for an organ transplant.

A legislative aide said that more people should see the documentary, because it is an issue that cannot be ignored. "It's deeply disturbing," he said.

Another aide said that he knew about the persecution but was astonished by its scale and depth. "This film is very educational and enlightening," he said.

Those who saw the film thanked the practitioners who hosted the event and collected information to learn more about Falun Gong.