(Clearwisdom.net June 15, 2002)
As of the evening of June 14, 2002 (U.S. Eastern time), among those who were kept from boarding IcelandAir flights earlier, 8 in Baltimore, 9 in New York, and 2 in Minneapolis boarded Reykjavik-bound flights. The airline was very helpful in finding vacant seats for practitioners.
At around 2:00 p.m. Paris time, among about 30 practitioners denied boarding earlier, 26 boarded the plane to Reykjavik. The remaining practitioners voluntarily stayed for personal reasons.
(Clearwisdom.net June 14, 2002)
Strong Righteous Thoughts Help Practitioners Enter Iceland Despite the Ban
Despite the Icelandic government's official ban preventing Falun Gong practitioners from boarding aircraft and entering the country, several practitioners have been allowed on airplanes and into Iceland to join their fellow practitioners in sending righteous thoughts in close proximity to the visiting Chinese president.
Some who had previously been denied boarding had compassionately clarified the truth to airline and Icelandic consular officials, who then allowed them to board even though their names appeared on the "blacklist" provided by Chinese espionage agencies. (Press Release about the blacklist- http://clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2002/6/14/23116.html) Others manifested the incredible power of strong righteous thoughts, and obtained boarding passes without being checked against the list.
Overwhelming Public Support From the Kindhearted People of Iceland
A poll just conducted in Iceland shows that 99.9% of the Icelandic people and 100% of the Icelandic media support Falun Gong. The country's largest daily newspaper ran a full- page apology to Falun Gong, sponsored by some 700 of the country's kindhearted private citizens. (http://clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2002/6/14/23114.html) They stepped forward to condemn Jiang Zemin's persecution of Falun Gong and his manipulation of Iceland's government to ban peaceful people from its shores.
More than 1,000 Icelanders gathered to participate in a grand parade through the streets of Rejkavik on Friday. They supported banners high in their hands, draped from their clothes, and proudly displayed even on children's strollers. The banners read, "Support Falun Gong," "Support Truth-Compassion-Tolerance," and, "Jiang Zemin - Go Home!" The scene was very touching.
Practitioners Continue to Clarify the Truth in Iceland and Elsewhere -- Iceland Should Lift the Ban
Practitioners continue their efforts to meet with and clarify the truth to Icelandic officials around the world. Many of these officials have seen Falun Gong's peaceful appeals in front of Chinese embassies and consulates wherever they may be. The officials show great awareness of the persecution and sympathy for Falun Gong, and many have contacted their home government to voice their support and attempt to reverse the ban.
Government and non-governmental organizations in western countries are taking notice and beginning to step forward to condemn China's heavy-handedness in this situation, coercing tiny Iceland, the world's oldest democracy, to ban people peacefully appealing for justice from its shores for the first time in its long history.