(Clearwisdom.net) At noon on March 14, 2008, Falun Gong practitioners held a rally in front of the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco and protested the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s mass arrests of Falun Gong practitioners in "preparation" for the Olympics. They called on the public to see the true nature of CCP and help stop the CCP's nine-year-long brutal persecution of Falun Gong in China.

Recently, approximately 100 Falun Gong practitioners in Beijing were arrested. The arrest of Falun Gong practitioners in "preparation" for the Olympics is happening not only in Beijing, but throughout the country, including twenty-nine provinces, cities and autonomous regions. It is a new round of systematic persecution. So far this year, 1878 cases of documented arrest of Falun Gong practitioners have been collected.

Intensified persecution of Falun Gong by the CCP in "preparation" for the Olympics

San Francisco Falun Gong spokesperson Dr. Zhang Xuerong said that CCP promised to improve human rights when applying for hosting the Olympic Games, but the CCP has no intention to improve human rights. It escalates the persecution of Falun Gong to take advantage of the opportunity of hosting Olympics.

While taking advantage of the Olympics to showcase itself, the CCP continues the persecution of innocent people and does not allow them to speak out.

Dr. Zhang said, "As Chinese, we are happy to see that China hosts Olympics. But the CCP takes advantage of the opportunity to escalate persecution of Falun Gong. It is true. Our request is simple, that is, stop the persecution of Falun Gong."

Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Chen Ruxiao drove for two hours from Sacramento to participate in the protest. She said, "I come to the Chinese Consulate today out of basic conscience. In China, the CCP regime arrests Falun Gong practitioners and dissidents on a large scale using the 'excuse' of 'preparation' for the Olympics. The persecution does not only affect those individual citizens, but also their families."

Ms. Chen said, "In this free country, if I do not speak out, I would be ashamed of myself and feel I was not being responsible to my fellow Chinese people. Thus, I thought I should come."

The more crimes the CCP commits, the more people learn of its evil nature

Ross from New York said that four years ago, he went to New York from Boston and saw many Falun Gong practitioners wearing yellow T-shirts. The T-shirts read "Falun Dafa is good" and "Stop persecution of Falun Gong." He asked the practitioners to tell him more and he took some truth-clarification literature. After reading it, he inquired after more information and wondered why such a peaceful practice that follows "Truth-Compassion-Tolerance" is persecuted by a powerful regime. He thought it must be a very special practice. He read Zhuan Falun and started practicing Falun Gong.

Ross said that it is shocking that the CCP is conducting mass arrests of Falun Gong practitioners, "The more such deeds the CCP commits, the more people learn of its evil nature. The CCP won't last long."

Mr. Huang, a computer engineer in Silicon Valley, said, "I come here today to protest the CCP's persecution of dissidents in 'preparation' for the Olympics. The CCP applied for hosting the Olympic Games several times in the past and was declined. One of the main reasons was its terrible human rights record. Later, the CCP deceived the International Olympic Committee by promising to improve human rights. But after the CCP was approved for hosting the Games, it did not improve human rights, but escalated the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners and other groups."

Calling for the release of a Falun Gong practitioner, recently arrested in Beijing

Ms. Linna's good friend of more than ten years, Yang Hui, was recently arrested in Beijing along with another two practitioners. Ms. Linna came to the Chinese Consulate to demand that the CCP release her friend. She said, "We demand the CCP to stop the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. My good friend of more than ten years and two others were recently arrested in Beijing. The CCP's police did not give any reason. The CCP does not care about the law and human rights. I hope people can help Yang Hui and other Falun Gong practitioners to gain their freedom."

Demanding that the CCP release all imprisoned Falun Gong practitioners

Mr. Peng, a Falun Gong practitioner in San Francisco, said, "We come to the Chinese Consulate today mainly because the CCP has been arresting many practitioners in China in 'preparation' for the Olympics. The CCP does not qualify to host the Olympics since it is a totalitarian regime and abuses human rights. In China, people do not have freedom of belief. The spirit of the Olympics is to promote human rights and freedom. Thus, the CCP does not qualify for hosting the Olympic Games."

Mr. Peng said, "The CCP deceives the world's media and people to take advantage of the Olympics. The CCP is arresting Falun Gong practitioners on a large scale, which tramples human rights. We come to Chinese Consulate to let Chinese people who came here for a visa or other business know the facts about the CCP's crimes. We demand the CCP to immediately release all Falun Gong practitioners imprisoned in China."