[Clearwisdom.net] In the morning on January 23, 2001, the Chinese New Year's Eve, practitioners from Manchester and middle England peacefully gathered in front of the Chinese Embassy in Manchester. They objected to the persecution of Falun Gong and the violation of human rights of practitioners in China. They displayed the colorful Falun Gong banners and demonstrated the five sets of exercises.
At around 11:30 am, four practitioners walked toward the embassy office to hand in a petition letter that requested the withdrawal of the policy to suppres Falun Gong and sought a peaceful dialogue. When the practitioners were only half way to the office, one official came out and asked them to leave. He refused to accept the letter. The practitioners kindly tried to persuade him to accept the letter and ensured him that it would not harm him. Another official dashed out of the office. He took a look at a tall western practitioner and turned to a short Chinese practitioner and start pushing him. He then grabbed the letter and tore it into pieces. He irrationally claimed that practitioners interfered with their work and did not "forbear." Practitioners pointed out that he refused to accept their letter and he did not fulfill the duty of an ambassador. He should not lose his temper. Fortunately, the whole incident was video taped by another practitioner. When practitioners were pushed out of the entrance, one of the officials seemed to realize that they had been taped. He tried to cover the lens and was afraid that it would be made public. The peaceful and mild behavior of the practitioners was strongly contrasted with the rude act of Chinese officials.
Before this activity, we had contacted local police and told them the subject matter of our activity. They were very happy to issue us the permission and told us, "You do not need any police (to watch the activity)." Although Chinese officials treated practitioners rudely, they still reported to the police that practitioners interfered with their work. But the outcome is that only one policeman came and quietly stood in a corner and did his duty. After the activity, one practitioner came to this policeman and expressed his gratitude. This policeman smiled and said, "They (Chinese embassy) really need a dose of democracy."
Practitioners in England
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