(Clearwisdom.net) At 10:30 a.m., February 18, 2002, Boston-area Falun Gong practitioners held a press conference at the Westin Hotel located in downtown Boston upon the return of Maria Salzman and Riordan Galluccio, the two western practitioners took part of the peaceful appeal in Tiananmen Square. The most influential local media including the Boston Globe, Boston Metro, Boston Herald and WB56, ABC all had reporters to cover this event.

Maria Salzman and Riordan Galluccio	Maria talking to a reporter
reporters from different media

At the press conference, Ms. Salzman and Mr. Galluccio explained the purpose for going to Tiananmen Square was to let the Chinese people know the truth --- Falun Gong is good. Falun Gong has been well received worldwide. They wanted to expose the shameless lies created by a few individuals for their own ambition to deceive the Chinese people and called for an end to the brutal persecution against Falun Gong. They also pointed out: The persecution against Falun Gong practitioners is not just a China issue; it an issue about the basic human rights around the world. The reason they were detained and beaten only because we said that Falun Dafa is good! Those authorities are afraid of "Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance" because their own conducts is completely opposite. They also emphasized to the press that they were not against the Chinese government, and that they went there to share the values of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance that are cherished around the world, and to share how their lives have improved as a result of following these principles. At the end of the conference, the practitioners showed "A Staged Tragedy," the video analysis of the self-immolation incident that occurred on January 23, 2001, so the attendees could have the chance to learn the truth of the fabricated "Self-immolation."

The press conference lasted an hour and half and successfully ended at noon. Ms. Salzman and Mr. Galluccio touched everybody's heart by their selflessness and fearlessness. After the press, reporters talked to practitioners for long time to learn more about Falun Dafa.