Philadelphia Inquirer: Falun Gong followers stage protest at Statehouse

Tuesday, July 10, 2001

TRENTON - A small group of Falun Gong followers protested on the steps of the Statehouse yesterday before walking to Pennsylvania to draw attention to the Chinese government's crackdown on the spiritual movement.

July marks "two years of persecution," said Ceci Martin of South Brunswick, Middlesex County, who helped organize the demonstration. Practitioners from around the United States, including the 20 or so who gathered briefly in Trenton and marched to Bristol, are planning a July 19 protest in Washington.

Among those walking south to Bucks County was Marlton resident Rutang Chen, 63. Chen said his son, who lived in Beijing until his arrest, had been held in a detention camp for more than a year for following Falun Gong.

Adherents say Falun Gong's exercises and philosophies promoting health and moral living [...].

http://inq.philly.com/content/inquirer/2001/07/10/south_jersey/JFALUNGONG.htm