Participating in the “April 25th” Peaceful Petition in Police Uniform

(Minghui.org) It has been 27 years since Falun Gong (also known as Falun Dafa) practitioners made their historic peaceful appeal for justice in Beijing on April 25, 1999. In my police uniform, I participated in that peaceful protest with ten thousand other practitioners. I witnessed firsthand what happened at Zhongnanhai, the central government complex, which was nothing at all like the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) propaganda depicted it to slander Falun Gong.

I began practicing Falun Dafa in 1994 when I worked in the local judicial system. After learning Dafa, I did my job diligently, and for many years in a row, I was ranked number one in job performance in the regional system. Master requires us to learn as much as possible, so I enrolled in two universities and took classes.

I held myself to Dafa’s standard of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, and I did not accept bribes from anyone. I helped people whenever I could. I also promoted Dafa whenever I had a chance. More than a dozen of my co-workers were reading Dafa books. I even promoted Dafa to the chief of police. After work, I often told the staff of other government branches about Dafa.

On the morning of April 24, 1999, a practitioner told me that a magazine based in Tianjin had published an article that slandered Falun Gong. When practitioners in Tianjin went to the publisher to explain the situation, the Tianjin Public Security Bureau dispatched hundreds of police officers, some of them armed, to beat and arrest 45 Dafa disciples.

I was not surprised to hear the news because several incidents like that had occurred in recent years, and we ourselves had been dealing with constant disruptions and interference at our practice site.

In 1996, the government prohibited Dafa books from being published. Then Guangming Daily published an article slandering Dafa. I later heard that the police were secretly investigating us. Then Beijing Radio and Television (BRTV) broadcast a program that slandered Dafa. This time, Beijing ramped up its repressive behavior and arrested practitioners in Tianjin openly.

We discussed it among ourselves and came to the conclusion that some ill-intentioned people were secretly stirring up trouble to hurt the practice. Otherwise how could the government possibly forbid such a good practice that enabled people to regain their health, improve their moral standards, and brought harmony to families—all of which helped maintain social stability and save money on medical expenses.

We decided to convey our understandings of Falun Dafa to the highest levels of the government. We believed the country’s leaders would support us once they knew the truth and decided to go to Beijing.

That night, we boarded the train to Beijing. To show that we came from all walks of life, I put on a brand new police uniform. The train was very crowded that night, but very quiet. I thought there were many Dafa disciples from all over the country on that train.

The next morning, we got off at Beijing Railway Station and got on a bus to Zhongnanhai, the central government complex. Almost everyone on our bus got off at the same stop as we did. They were also practitioners from all over the country who had come to petition. On our way to Zhongnanhai, although there were many people, it was quiet.

When we arrived, we noticed everyone standing on the sidewalk across from the red wall of Zhongnanhai. Everyone carefully left about three meters (about 10 feet) of space on the sidewalk for people to pass by. While we were looking for a place to stand, I noticed several fellow practitioners who were also wearing police or military uniforms. We nodded to each other in greeting.

After a while, we found a place to stand. It was already dawn, and some locals walked by. I heard one person say, “These people are petitioning for Falun Gong.” Seeing that some practitioners had their work uniforms on, another person said, “Why are there police officers, soldiers, and judges?” Another person said, “So many people practice Falun Gong, so of course they have all kinds of jobs.”

Practitioners from all over the country continued to filter in. Against the backdrop of the blue sky, white clouds, green trees, and red walls in the morning sun, thousands of Dafa disciples quietly petitioning became a spectacular scene.

At about 10 a.m., applause suddenly broke out in the crowd from afar. Zhu Rongji, then Premier of the State Council, came to see us. A few minutes later, two female practitioners anxiously came over and asked if anyone knew the law because the Premier had asked a few representatives to talk to the leaders of the State Bureau for Letters and Visits. Since I was wearing a police uniform, they hoped that I would go.

I hesitated. I was just a policeman, and to be able to meet with the national leaders in Zhongnanhai was indeed a major psychological challenge for me. Being given this heavy responsibility, I really felt a lot of pressure. Moreover, I was only familiar with criminal law and was unsure about other laws.

I was worried that I would mess up the petition and did not dare to agree. I recommended another practitioner, who was a judge, standing behind me. This judge was an expert on economic contract disputes. He wasn’t sure about laws on civil rights and so turned them down as well.

Time was running out, and the two Beijing practitioners were very anxious. Suddenly they got a phone call saying that a practitioner who knew the pertinent laws had already entered Zhongnanhai with several other practitioners.

Shortly after, many police cars arrived. Many police officers got out, spread out, and stood in front of us. Since we were neither holding signs nor shouting slogans but were just standing quietly, the officers simply stood in groups of three or five, chatting. They also did not have any ill will towards us. The initial tense atmosphere quickly passed.

At this time, we noticed that black or white vans would pass by slowly from time to time. Practitioners discovered that there were video cameras recording us from inside these vans.

Nobody knew what the government would do, but we knew that it was capable of committing crimes such as the killing of petitioning college students in Tiananmen Square. As we were getting nervous, a practitioner nearby said, “The police are recording us, but heaven is watching over us.” After he said this, everyone’s righteous thoughts immediately arose, and those in the front row stood there with their heads held high.

After a short while, the police received orders that we were to leave. If we did not leave, we would bear the consequences.

But our representatives were in the State Council Petition Office talking to the leaders, and we could not just leave, so nobody moved, even though the police had told us to. I later heard that the State Petition Bureau invited several practitioners from the Beijing Falun Dafa Research Association to join the talk. There was more the reason to stay and wait to hear the results.

It was getting dark, and there was no news. We didn’t know if the matter could be resolved or how long we would have to wait. I felt a little heavy-hearted.

By this time, the news that Falun Gong practitioners had gone to the State Bureau to petition had spread throughout Beijing, and kindhearted Beijing residents urged us to leave. They said, “The Party is ruthless. You can’t reason with them. When it gets dark, they might ‘clear the area.’ That’s what they did on June 4, 1989.”

When they said this, my heart sank, and a trace of fear arose. There were a few officers in our organization who had personally participated in the June 4th Tiananmen Massacre. They had told me that the CCP was terrifying when it needed to be.

But when I looked up, I saw other practitioners were still standing firm. In this righteous energy field, my fear subsided. I put my heart back together: Since I had come here, I wouldn’t worry about it. I would leave everything to the will of Heaven.

I didn’t sleep on the train all night when I came, and after standing around all day, I was suddenly exhausted. I found an empty space to sit and fell asleep without realizing it.

Fellow practitioners woke me up around 9 p.m. and said the meeting was over. The national leaders had notified the Tianjin police to release the Falun Gong practitioners. However, we were told that our other requests needed further discussion. We were asked to leave Zhongnanhai immediately. The peaceful negotiations ended, and just like that, we all returned to our hometowns overnight.

After I returned home, the police called me in. I had no idea how they knew I’d gone to Beijing. The leaders of my unit criticized me, saying that I lacked political sensitivity by wearing a police uniform to Beijing to petition for Falun Gong. However, no disciplinary action was taken against me.

When Dafa is under attack, I, as a disciple of the Fa, must safeguard it. This is the unshirkable responsibility of every true Dafa disciple. As a member of the judicial branch, when the people were treated unjustly, I had the responsibility and obligation to help their voices be heard.