11 April 2002

DRESDEN - Protests by the banned Falun Gong movement continued to [accompany] Chinese President Jiang Zemin's state visit to Germany Thursday which resumed in the eastern city of Dresden.

Human rights activists and members of Falun Gong - which is forbidden in China - have staged a series of demonstrations marking Jiang's presence in Germany.

Despite a huge police presence in Dresden a Falun Gong backer who joined a cheering pro-Jiang rally suddenly broke out of the crowd and approached Jiang shouting the group's name.

Officers restrained the woman and forced her away from the Chinese leader. Falun Gong members in Berlin were even more inventive: They rented rooms in the Hotel Adlon were Jiang was staying in order to directly confront him.

While Jiang was passing through the hotel lobby on Tuesday one of the group's members shouted: "Stop your crazy persecution otherwise you'll go to hell."

http://www.expatica.com/germany.asp?pad=190,205,&item_id=21411