Wednesday, July 28, 2004

Editor's Note

BOSTON--One of the most amusing elements of a party convention, or any political event, is the protest sideshows that inevitably go on outside. Copley Square, a park a block from our hotel, serves as one theater for such events. On Monday afternoon most of the park is occupied by the Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong, a spiritual movement that is popular in China, where it is suffering persecution at the hands of the Red Chinese government.

Several Falun Gong devotees hold banners. One reads "Falun Dafa is good." Another says "Truthfulness. Compassion. Forebearance," and features a logo that includes an inverted swastika. But don't worry, it's not what you think. "The symbol called 'wan' . . . has been used in many cultures for thousands of years to denote good fortune," says FalunDafa.org, a tad defensively. Nearby, Falun Gong members perform human-rights-abuse pantomimes, featuring Chinese policemen wearing black uniforms and white-clad victims with fake blood. It's an impressive display.

[...]

http://www.opinionjournal.com/best/?id=110005411