Truth Telling at Chinese New Year Party in London

On Sunday, 21 January, the UK Chinese Students Union and London Chinese Students Union held a joint party to celebrate the coming Chinese New Year at Imperial College in London. Dafa practitioners from the Southeast of England took the opportunity to tell the truth to Chinese community and public. We practiced exercises, displayed Dafa materials and distributed leaflets/newspapers before the party. Some practitioners went into to the hall and watched the performance by some dancers, musicians, etc. The Chinese Ambassador and Educational Counselor from the Chinese Embassy attended the party. We noticed that people took Dafa materials into the hall and read them. Some of them were still reading the materials even when the performance started.

Halfway through the performance, the Ambassador left the hall. On his way out, one of the practitioners said "Happy New Year, Ambassador!" The Ambassador replied with smile "Happy New Year!" Then the practitioner said, "Can you listen to our concerns on Falun Gong?" The Ambassador immediately became very angry and replied, "Don't follow me to tell me this. You have been practicing everyday outside the Embassy, which makes the Chinese people lose face!" The Ambassador's wife also pushed another practitioner rudely when practitioners said to them "Please do not help Jiang Zemin suppress Falun Gong!" "Jiang Zemin will be punished and please do not become his scapegoat!" "It is a serious matter if people are persecuted simply because they believe in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance!" "As a government official you should listen to your people and take care of them" In the end a member of Embassy staff violently blocked our way when we tried to follow the Ambassador. He also shouted to us. One of the practitioners told him how much her family has suffered, how her husband lost his job and the family had become homeless simply because the whole family are practitioners. There were quite few people around watching and listening.

After the performance, practitioners also approached the Educational Counsellor and said similar words to him. He did not say much but walked away quickly. A member of Embassy staff said to practitioners, "Why do you approach us rather than go back to China?!" We explained to them that one of us did go back to China but was arrested. We also told him that a practitioner was recently killed on Tiananmen Square in broad daylight. He asked, "Why did she need to go to Tiananmen Square?" We explained to him that there was no other way that practitioners in China could appeal for Falun Gong.

Jan. 24, 2001