(Minghui.org) On July 20, 1999, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began the nationwide persecution of Falun Dafa. I went to Fuyou Street near the central government compound in Beijing on that day to appeal against the previous unfair treatment of adherents. Many other practitioners who came for the same purpose were already there.
Large numbers of police officers were also present. They tried to confine the practitioners to a small area. With no where to stand, many of us went to a little shop on another street close to Fuyou Street. Then I heard several people shout, “Hurry up and start looting!” I saw that a few people were videotaping the incident. Knowing that a real Falun Dafa practitioner wouldn’t steal, we realized that the perpetrators may be hired thugs or plainclothes police officers attempting to frame Falun Dafa adherents by looting the store. Then, a practitioner shouted, “All Falun Dafa practitioners squat down.” With that, we all squatted, leaving the looters standing in the shop and looking very embarrassed as it was obvious that no Falun Dafa practitioners were involved in the impending crime.
Not long after that incident, many buses arrived to take all practitioners present to either Shijingshan Stadium or Fengtai Stadium. I was taken to the Shijingshan Stadium. By a rough estimate, at least several dozen practitioners were there and were monitored by many police. At 2:30 p.m., the screen at the stadium began to play an announcement by the CCP saying that it was outlawing Falun Dafa. Some officers then began beating the practitioners. Later on, the police recorded our names and addresses, and handed us over to the officers from our respective provincial liaison offices.
After being released, I returned to the hotel. The next morning, I went to Tiananmen Square and saw about ten people demonstrating there, including men and women, young and old. Those in the front sat on the ground in the double-lotus (leg) position. The ones behind stood with their hands in the heshi position. They were quiet, not saying a word. I realized that they were practitioners and I decided to run over and join them. But I hesitated for a brief moment, and just then, the police swarmed in, surrounded the practitioners, and began beating them. I saw that several practitioners were bleeding heavily.
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Category: Persecution
