(Clearwisdom.net) The "Human Rights Torch Relay," organized by the CIPFG (Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong in China) arrived in the Czech Republic capital of Prague on September 6, 2007, via Berlin and Munich. The Torch Relay received widespread support from Czech political circles, non-governmental organizations as well as sports and entertainment circles. China's human rights issues, especially the persecution of innocent Falun Gong practitioners, drew extensive attention from the general public.
Czech government officials, including Vice Premier Mr. Martin Bursik, who also serves as the Minister of Environmental Protection, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Karel Schwarzenberg and Minister of Defense Vlasta Parkanova gave their support either by attending the rally in person or issuing a public letter. Former President Mr. Havel, who has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize several times, wrote a letter to support the event. Former Minister of Internal Affairs Mr. Jan Ruml, who is also the chairman of Czech's Olympic Watch Committee, attended the activities held at Prague's Old Square (the Staromestke Namesti).
The rally was sponsored by the city government. Mr. Pavel Bem, Mayor of Prague, was one of the organizers.
Czech's Vice Premier and Minister of Environmental Protection, Mr. Marin Bursik (3rd right), Congresswoman Ms. Katerina Jacques (2nd right) and Congressman Marek Benda (1st right) ran together with the torch into Prague's Old Square (Staromestke Namesti) and passed it to seven-year-old Chen Fadu, who represents Falun Gong practitioners' children persecuted in China.
Ms. Eva Kacanu, silver medalist in the women's shot put in the 2004 Athens Paralympics, gives support to the human rights torch relay
At 4:30 in the afternoon, Mr. Bursik, Mr. Benda and Ms. Jacques took over the human rights torch at the November 7 Velvet Revolution Monument from a UK Falun Gong practitioner, Ms. Jiang Xinxia who was persecuted by the Chinese communist regime in China. They carried the torch from the Old Square (Staromestke Namesti) and passed it to a seven-year-old girl, Chen Fadu. Fadu's father was persecuted to death because of practicing Falun Gong in China soon after she was born.
The "Velvet Revolution" refers to the democratic revolution that occurred in the former Czechoslovakia in November 1989 against the then-ruling Communist Party. During that period of time, approximately 100,000 people marched through the streets of Prague every day demanding the termination of the governing Communist party. The revolution toppled Czechoslovakia's communist regime and led to the first democratic election in 40 years. The Communist party lost the election. Mr. Havel, a famous writer who suffered Communist persecution, won the presidency. As no large-scale violence was involved in the handover of political power, "smooth as velvet," it was later coined the "Velvet Revolution." During the late 1980s and early 1990s when the Communist regimes in Eastern Europe collapsed one after another, no large-scale violent conflict ever erupted in any of these countries, just like Czechoslovakia's "Velvet Revolution."
The incumbent Czech government was the second democratic government elected by the Czech people after the collapse of the Communist regime. Similar to what had happened in the first democratic government, most high-level officials in the second government were also once persecuted by the Communist party. Many of them were forced to flee their hometowns to evade the persecution in the past. Therefore, they are fully aware of the severity of the Communist Party's infringement of human rights. Holding the torch relay at the "November 7 Velvet Revolution Monument" thus had special meaning.
President Havel's remarks were quoted in the English and Czech flyers distributed at the rally: "I support the Human Rights Torch Relay as I consider it the hope of the world. China has tried to cover up its human rights infringements using gigantic capital investments and colossal preparation projects for the Olympics. The Chinese regime fails to materialize on its promise of improving human rights in China. It is essential to make China obey its promise now."
Among the passers-by, many were tourists from China. Mrs. Wang, who came to attend the activity from Berlin, talked to a group of 20 Chinese tourists for about 30 minutes. She talked to the group about the persecution facts, about the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party and tide of Chinese quitting the part. (Currently, the number is over 25 million). One man in the group did not say a word until he was about to turn away. He asked casually, "How can I withdraw from the party?" Mrs. Wang replied, "Just find an alias and announce your decision on the Epoch Times website. If you have no objection, I can file the withdrawal for you using alias 'Ren Pingan' (in Chinese, it is a homonym for 'people are safe')." The man walked away several steps. He turned his head towards the practitioner, nodded gently as an affirmation, and then left quickly. It is clear that he had the intention of withdrawing from the Chinese Communist Party but did not want to be seen by others in his tourist group. Therefore, he expressed his intention in a low profile so that it would not catch the others' attention.
Several Czech Olympic medalists and famous figures from the film-making circle also attended the rally. A concert, comprising about a dozen of bands, was held to support the appeal for China's human rights. The concert started at 12 o'clock noon and attracted many local Czechs and tourists from all over the world.
At 6 o'clock in the evening, the activities were about to end. Mr. Lukas Pollert, gold medalist from the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and silver medalist of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics in rowing, held the torch and started running. Through a running relay by several Czech Olympic medalists, the human rights torch was carried through the Victims of Communism Memorial, the Czech Parliament, Prague Castle (the seat of the Presidency), all the way to China's embassy in Prague. As dots of candlelight decorated the night, people mourned for the Falun Gong practitioners persecuted to death by the Chinese communist regime.
Upon completion of the candlelight vigil, the torch was carried by several ultramarathon athletes who would run for 230 kilometers through the night so that the torch would arrive in Czech's second largest city of Burno on September 6. Mr. Milos Skorpil, Czech's legendary ultramarathon runner, would cover the first 30 kilometers. Mr. Jiri Krejci, champion of Czech's 100-km ultramarathon, would cover the last portion of the journey.
After Burno, the human rights torch will be carried to Slovakia and then to other countries in central and eastern Europe. According to Mr. Kevin Yang, spokesman for CIPFG's North American chapter, there are 150 cities in 35 countries participating in the Human Rights Torch Relay. China's human rights issues, especially the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, will receive extensive attention from the international society.
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Category: Rallies & Protests
