October 2, 2004

(CLearwisdom.net) On October 1, 2004, China's National Day, police brutally beat and arrested Falun Gong practitioners on Tiananmen Square. Upon hearing the news, practitioners in the San Francisco Bay area held an appeal in front of the Chinese Consulate and called for an end of the Jiang faction's persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.

Practitioners ask for an end to the atrocities

Words on banner: Calling for an immediate end of the Persecution of Falun Gong

Practitioners appeal in front of Chinese Consulate

Mr. Lu, an employee of the San Francisco Water Department, said that he saw the news about the police brutality against Falun Gong practitioners on Tiananmen Square. A practitioner was beaten to the ground by police. A policeman had the practitioner's banner wrapped around his left hand. Police pulled the practitioner into police vehicle, while other armed police drove onlookers far away from the site. However, a lot of citizens witnessed how police brutally attacked the practitioner. Many people in the crowd started to take photos, but several had their film confiscated by police. Police even confiscated some people's unused cameras packed in their bags, and a few tourists who photographed the scene were taken away. Policemen near the site also searched for people that carried a camera.

Mr. Lu said, "We come here this evening to expose police brutality and call on all circles to help stop the Jiang faction's persecution of Falun Gong."

Practitioner Yang Liping, a graduate of Stanford University and an employee of a high-tech company in Silicon Valley, said, "Former Chinese President Jiang Zemin was jealous and initiated the persecution of Falun Gong in 1999. During the last five years, hundreds of thousands of practitioners were imprisoned in labor camps and mental hospitals. Prison guards tortured with over one hundred torture methods, including brutally beating, shocking with electric baton, burning with fire and poking sharp bamboo sticks into the fingernails of practitioners."

Liping said, "Jiang and his followers have been sued in at least 15 countries and regions for their crimes in the persecution of Falun Gong. The are charged with genocide, torture, and crimes against humanity. It is a heavenly principle that good deeds will be rewarded with good and evil will meet retribution. We want Jiang's followers and police to stop the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners."