On the Chinese New Year's Eve (February 5, 2000), Falun Gong practitioners in Shijiazhuang City decided to practice Falun Gong together in front of the Hebei Opera House, which is located at the intersection of Construction Avenue and Yuhua Street. Earlier before the practice time, more than 100 police officers and 20 some police vehicles had already occupied the place. Several police cars were running around near the opera house.
Before the practitioners started the group practice, the police started to arrest them at the Hebei Opera House and the Culture Exhibition Center. About 107 practitioners had been arrested. While the police were arresting the practitioners, they used dirty languages to insult the practitioners and beat them up. They also drove away some practitioners without giving any reason.
When the police started to arrest practitioners, many practitioners were in front of the Yanzhao Hotel, which is located at the south of Hebei Opera House. They decided to practice the exercises there because it was impossible for them to practice at the Hebei Opera House. About 20 practitioners stood in lines and began to do the exercises in the rubble of firecrackers welcoming the Year of the Dragon. More and more practitioners came to join in the practice. A practitioner volunteered to stand out chanting the instructions of the exercise. She was more than 60 years old. Her voice was loud and clear. The practitioners' movements were neat and peaceful. More and more practitioners joined the practice. They wanted to tell the country and the whole world that Falun Dafa is righteous. Falun Dafa teaches people to be kind and good. Falun Gong is a wonderful practice, which can help people to gain high morality, healthy body and happy mind. They are willing to safe guard the truth with their precious lives.
Before they finished the third repetition of the first set of exercise, a police car ran towards them from the direction of the Hebei Opera House. The car stopped in front of them. The police came out from the car and contacted other police with walky-talky. About 15 minutes later, 3 more police cars came with a lot of police officers. And then, more than 30 police officers came on foot. The police surrounded the practitioners in three directions, left, front and right. When they were practicing the fourth set of exercise, under the police surveillance, the practitioners chanted together "going down with the mechanism". Then a practitioner who was over 60 years old came with a teenager boy. They went through the police and joined the group practice. Soon after that, a young practitioner came by bicycle. He also passed through the police's surrounding at ease and joined the group practice. About 100 practitioners joined the practice, which lasted about 45 minutes. The atmosphere of the practice field was solemn, noble and peaceful. The police waited there silently. Having finished the 4 sets of exercise, the practitioners greeted each other and left with dignity. The police did not take any action.
[Provided on February 6, 2000]
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Category: Accounts of Persecution
