November 16, 2003

(Clearwisdom.net) Even after Les Presses Chinoises was sued in 2002 and ordered to stop its defamation, it continued to carry full-length articles from mainland China that demonized Falun Gong. Then, two questions still exist; what kind of role has Les Presses Chinoises played in defaming Falun Gong, and what harm has it brought to the plaintiffs?

With these questions in mind, Clearwisdom's local reporters interviewed 5 plaintiffs from three families, including Yao Qing, Zhang Menghua, Wang Gongshi, Mao Fengying, and Ye Tonggui.

Defamation Aggravated the Persecution of Falun Gong

Zhang Menghua, who has benefited in both mind and body from the practice of Falun Gong, has deep feelings on this: "As a news media outlet, regardless if it is in mainland China or overseas, it should report the facts objectively so as to support the good and suppress the bad. This is a professional requirement as well as social responsibility for a media. However, Les Presses Chinoises has totally violated this."

Zhang stated, "We all know that Jiang Zemin's persecution of Falun Gong in Mainland China was entirely based on lies. For example, after Jiang's regime faked the Tiananmen Self Immolation incident in January 2001, many people in Chinese society from both the younger and older generations started to have feelings of extreme anger and disgust towards Falun Gong. Since those people were misled by these lies, they even agreed with the escalating persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. In particular Les Presses Chinoises constantly carried such lies from China media outlets like Xinhua, and through this vocalization of Jiang's propaganda has harmed the belief and choice of those people who want to practice-- 'Truth, Compassion, and Tolerance'. Moreover as such articles published in Les Presses Chinoises were then reported inside Mainland China as supporting voices from overseas, this cemented in the minds of the Chinese public the lies about Falun Gong.

Therefore, regardless in Canada or China, Les Presses Chinoises exerted the same effects in slandering Falun Gong as Jiang's regime has done in China with nationally controlled media.

Harming the Chinese people in both China and Overseas in Two Ways

Yao Qing, a Falun Gong practitioner in Toronto said, "As Jiang's regime has constantly escalated its persecution of Falun Gong practitioners [in China], it has also escalated the persecution of overseas practitioners. In the Toronto Chinese consulate, there have been pictures slandering Falun Gong displayed all the time. Everyday, many Chinese people visit the Consulate for issues related to visa etc. While waiting in the line, they are forced to watch such defaming propaganda."

Yao Qing continued, "He Bing's articles in Les Presses Chinoises caused very bad effects among overseas Chinese. Also, when I called my friends in China, they said seeing Tianjian Daily carrying the slandering articles by Catherine (He Bing's alias). Thus, it caused harmful consequences in two ways: one was to stir up hatred [towards Falun Gong] in the overseas Chinese community; the other was to, create an appearance in China that Canada was also against Falun Gong. This can further be used to make excuses for persecution in China."

Hate Propaganda Can Cause Immeasurable Harm to Society in General

Mr. Bergman, the attorney who represents plaintiffs, once said, "Stirring up hatred causes immeasurable harm to society. Most violent actions arise from hatred. Hatred may cause discrimination, ostracism, and isolation, even violence. The spiritual harm caused by stirring up hatred can be unexpected."

Ms. Mao Fengying has practiced Falun Gong for 7 years. The practice of Falun Gong not only helped her recover from a fatal illness, but also allowed her to give birth to a healthy and lovely baby. Ms. Mao said, "The defamatory articles in Les Presses Chinoises are not only attacking and harming me, but also the general public in the world. Now, I am healthy and energetic, which is a miracle that was brought to me by my practice of Falun Gong. I am now healthy and have a beautiful complexion. However, Les Presses Chinoises lies, saying 'All Falun Gong practitioners become healthy because of absorbing essence from others.' This the most severe personal attack towards us. Moreover, as such articles were spread to China and my family, they created a great deal of misunderstandings in my family about my practice. As a member of the society, and person who has benefited from the practice, I feel I must sue the newspaper for the restoration of my good name"

Mr. Wang Gongshi said, "After reading the report in Les Presses Chinoises, my family in China thought Falun Gong was also banned overseas as it is in China. As a result, the fears in their heart increased. Now if I say more about my life when talking with my family over the phone, they will feel very nervous. For example, my elder sister and I used to be very close. However, after reading the report in Les Presses Chinoises, her attitude to me became irrational and irritable. After I clarified the facts to her over the phone one by one in response to the reports, my sister said, 'What do you want? Do you want to put me in the jail?' I was shocked. I know my sister is a good person. However, her sub-consciousness told her that, if she accepted the propaganda was lies, her conscience would force her to step forward and say something to support justice. However, she was also afraid that by doing this she would bring loss to her personal life. Thus, she would rather not believe that I am a good person and that Falun Gong is good."

Mr. Wang Gongshi said, "I think such defamatory propaganda of Les Presses Chinoises as well as those in China are now distorting human nature. This is very sad. Such harm has spread widely and gone very deep. It is way beyond what words can describe."

Mao Fengying's husband Ye Tonggui, a Ph.D. student, said, "As a Falun Gong practitioner, when I chose to practice Falun Gong, I also chose a way of life in the future. Due to the defaming reports in Les Presses Chinoises that generated hatred, many people around me were misled. In the eyes of my friends, I have become a liar. Such harms are often dramatic, and I have been living a life with potential threats. Such harms are beyond imagination of everyone." "If in a society, some could use lies or judicial loopholes to attack others, and not be punished, this would cause moral degeneration of the society. And it is also against the foundation that maintains the social harmony."

The Choice of Whether You Believe in Falun Gong or Not Cannot Become An Excuse for Persecution

Regarding the Les Presses Chinoises case in Montreal, we interviewed an expert in issues related to China. While they wanted to remain anonymous at this moment, this expert says, "According to some reports, the lawyer representing Les Presses Chinoises picked some points from the books of Falun Gong to pose as questions in the court. This is as like an atheist arguing with a religious person about the existence of God, and questioning him why the God he believes in says this or that. This is not a rational and reasonable dialogue. We also lack an environment and basis for such discussions."

The expert continued on by saying, "In my understanding, Falun Gong is a spiritual belief. With no intentions to force others to believe, it is simply stating what it is about. It is solely a personal choice whether to believe or not. On the other hand, not to believe or understand can never be an excuse for the persecution. If, as is argued by Les Presses Chinoises, that because they simply do not believe or not understand, one could start to use slanderous words to defame another person, just like the Communist Party has done. This would cause harm to many practitioners of different faiths. It is very inappropriate to do it in this way."

This expert also said, "The policy the Chinese authorities have used to handled Falun Gong is just like that the one which Hitler used for his genocide of the Jews. It is the same ideology--I am the authority, and I will destroy things I do not like, no matter how many lives are involved."