FLUSHING, NEW YORK—This April 25th, Flushing saw a scene different from a decade ago in Beijing, yet carrying the same message: Stop the persecution of Falun Gong in China.
Enjoying freedom of expression, belief, and assembly in New York, in stark contrast to China, Falun Gong practitioners held a march and rally closely linked to events ten years ago—events which marked the beginning of a persecution many are calling genocide.
On April 25, 1999, more than 10,000 practitioners gathered at the appeals office in Beijing near the regime’s Zhongnanhai compound. They were appealing for the right to practice Falun Gong without persecution, after 40 practitioners had been beaten and arrested in nearby Tianjin. It was the largest peaceful appeal by any group under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party, and the party leaders soon afterwards used the day as a pretext to launch a brutal persecution. Falun Gong is a meditation practice based on the teachings of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance.
