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Rush Holt, both a Congressman and a physicist, at the Shen Yun Performing Arts performance in Newark, New Jersey at the NYPAC. Congressman Holt said that The performance was 'unforgettable,' and that he loved every single program. (The Epoch Times)
“There has never been a Falun Gong practitioner who sent out threats to force others to practice," said Mr. Yang. He also added that the practice of Falun Gong has always been completely voluntary.
Pattern of Harassment
These e-mails follow upon various other forms of harassment that have targeted Shen Yun.
In Calgary, Canada, on the morning of March 31, the day of the show, somebody claiming to be one of the hosts called the theater manager to cancel the show in the evening.
Theaters hosting Shen Yun routinely have received letters such as the 13-page missive sent by the Chinese Consulate in Houston, Texas, to the Robinson Center Music Hall in Little Rock, Arkansas. The letter attacked Falun Gong and accused Shen Yun of “damaging Sino-America relations,” and “disrupting China’s stability.” The letter also asked the theater to reject the Shen Yun show.
There have been several cases in which individuals claiming to be members of the audience have complained to the theater about the show and asked the theater not to offer any reservations to Shen Yun in the future.
According to Ms. Huishar Chen, from the Falun Dafa Association of Edmonton, the Minister of Culture in British Columbia received a phone call from someone claiming to have attended Shen Yun who complained about the show and asked that no theater should allow Shen Yun to perform. The Minster of Culture refused, and told this individual that he had seen the show and did not agree with the complaints.
Support for Shen Yun
The Minister of Culture in British Columbia is not alone in objecting to efforts to stop Shen Yun from performing.
Mr. Liang said that the director of NJPAC, where Shen Yun performed in January 2009, received daily harassment calls from the Chinese Consulate in New York, urging her to stop hosting Shen Yun.
He said she was very upset and phoned the Chinese consul back to tell him: “We are not in China. Anyone who follows the regulations has the right to use the theater. Please do not interfere anymore.” After that, the Chinese Consulate stopped harassing NJPAC.
U.S. Congressman Rush Holt attended Shen Yun at NJPAC and said afterwards, “The performance is unforgettable! I love every single program. The performers are incredible!”
When the Shen Yun show scheduled to be performed in Kiev, Ukraine, faced cancellation due to pressure from the CCP, Rep. Holt wrote a letter to President Yanukovych of Ukraine. He referred to Shen Yun as “one of the world’s premier Chinese dance and music companies.”
“It aims to revive traditional Chinese arts and has performed to critical acclaim in 100 cities around the world. I found [Shen Yun] both educational and inspirational,” the Congressman said.
Shen Yun will hold two performances on June 20 in the State Theatre. Nine U.S. Congressmen, the New Jersey State Senate, and the mayor and city council of New Brunswick have sent congratulatory letters welcoming the show’s return to New Jersey.
The email seeking to damage Shen Yun’s performance in New Jersey has been turned over to the FBI.
With reporting by Shi Yu and Weilin Wu.
Read the original Chinese article. http://epochtimes.com/gb/10/6/14/n2937157.htm
To read the German version http://www.epochtimes.de/articles/2010/06/16/588904.html
