Judy Chen recounts her experience of being attacked, lending support to Zhang Derong, whose case against He Xu appeared in the Queens County Criminal Court on Oct. 13. (Matthew Robertson/The Epoch Times)
Last year on Oct. 4, Zhang was in Flushing and witnessed Democratic District Leader Martha Flores-Vazquez being harassed by Chinese men. The men, who are accused of being part of an organized c
Zhang Derong, a practitioner of the Falun Gong spiritual discipline, spoke about the case before entering the court at midday. ampaign to intimidate and attack Falun Gong practitioners in Flushing during that time, apparently had mistaken Flores-Vazquez herself for a Falun Gong practitioner and began harassing her.
Seeing what was going on, Zhang began filming and in the course of events was attacked by He Xu, the defendant in the case heard on Tuesday.
Zhang believes the men have an association with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which continues to persecute Falun Gong in China.
Zhang Derong was allegedly attacked by He Xu in Flushing last year and has taken the case to court. She stands outside the Queens County Criminal Court on Oct. 13. (Matthew Robertson/The Epoch Times)
"He ran at me, swinging his jacket and fists, and pulled my camera down," she said outside the court. One of the cables in her camera was broken in the process, and she says some of the fingers on her left hand are permanently numb. She was taken to the hospital in an ambulance, and He Xu was charged with third-degree assault.
She said she was hopeful about the case. "Of course, I believe that the US is a country ruled by law, so there is justice here, and the courts will deal with these issues openly and fairly."
Zhang said that, according to court rules, she was not allowed to talk about the details of the proceedings.
Fellow practitioners of Falun Gong, a Chinese spiritual practice based on the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, came to the courthouse in a show of support, holding banners and distributing information about the incidents surrounding the attack.
Zhang's friend, Sun Zhenyu, also spoke about her own experience of discrimination for her Falun Gong beliefs. She was thrown out of a restaurant last year and consequently awarded a $7,000 settlement earlier this month. "It's because those people have listened to the CCP's propaganda against us," she said, referring to the CCP's media campaign to vilify Falun Gong in mainland China and abroad.
A string of speakers also turned out to support the case and speak more generally about the persecution of Falun Gong, which began in China in 1999. That the persecution has extended overseas is obvious, they said, as evident in the cases of Sun and Zhang.
Judy Chen, another Falun Gong practitioner who was harassed last year, drew a connection between the incidents in Flushing and New York City Council member John Liu, who is accused of harboring ties with the Communist Party.
Zhang rounded things off by emphasizing her belief in the American legal system. "I think the judge is treating this [case] very fairly. I believe they'll make a neutral decision and investigation," she said.
"No matter how bad these guys are, in the face of justice, people will realize that the law in America is fair and equal. I have faith in this."
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Category: Lawyers and Lawsuits
