Speech by EU Parliament Member at the Launch of the SOS Walk in the City of Falun

The following is a translation of a public speech read at the launch of the SOS walk from the city of Falun to Stockholm in Falun, Sweden, on Thursday the 12th of July, 2001. It was presented by Lennart Sacredeus (Christian Democrat) of Mora, Sweden, a member of the European Parliament's Committee for Foreign Affairs and Committee for Human Rights.

Dear Rally Participants,

Everyone here is setting an example of truthfulness, benevolence and forbearance.

For this, you are worthy of great encouragement, support and success! And you are doing it for people living in [the city of] Falun, for Democracy in Sweden, for Europe and the whole world; and you are doing it in defense of each person's basic liberties and rights based upon the same, unique and inviolable human dignity.

At a place where atrocities were committed--a work camp in north-east China--fifteen people lost their lives, all of them practitioners of the peaceful meditation movement, Falun Gong.

Their lives were ended so brutally and so meaninglessly by proponents of death, by the Chinese Communist dictator's henchman.

The Chinese regime has on their conscience the killing of more than two hundred peaceful Falun Gong practitioners, in addition to the countless people imprisoned, persecuted and harassed, even outside of China.

So weak is the confidence in their own basic principles and ability to govern over power, and so great is the contempt for their own citizens, that the regime in China instinctively feels frightened of all independent associations, not the least churches and meditation movements.

That is why you have joined together, dear rally participants, to denounce this tyranny and defend freedom of religion and freedom of thought, which is one of the cornerstones of fundamental human liberty and human rights.

It is time for China's government to tell the truth and put those responsible perpetrators on trial!

It is time for an immediate halt to the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, Christians, the Tibetan Dalai Lama followers and other persecuted religious groups!

It is time for the world community and the collective sports movement to set limits in defense of human values and not give China and Beijing the Summer Olympics in 2008!

All of this we say, and demand, dear rally participants, in order for truthfulness, benevolence and forbearance to be victorious!

Lennart Sacredeus Member of European Parliament Committee for Foreign Affairs and Human Rights