The New Castle County Council in Delaware on Aug. 26 adopted a resolution recognizing Falun Gong’s contributions to the community while condemning the persecution faced by its practitioners both in China and through the Chinese regime’s transnational repression.
The County Council acknowledges that Falun Gong practitioners deserve the same First Amendment protections as American citizens in practicing their beliefs, according to the resolution.
It also states that “Falun Gong brings traditional Chinese cultural values to many Delawareans, as well as to more than 100 million people in over 100 countries from all walks of life and cultural backgrounds.”
Persecution
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline and meditation practice based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. The practice was first introduced to the public in China by Li Hongzhi in 1992 and quickly gained popularity. An estimated 70 million to 100 million people practiced Falun Gong in China by the late 1990s.
Transnational Repression
Council members expressed concern over the CCP’s transnational repression—efforts to extend persecution abroad through harassment, threats, and misinformation campaigns targeting diaspora communities.Kilpatrick, reflecting on her interactions with local Falun Gong practitioners, said she understands “the persecution that’s going on” and has heard stories that are “hard” for her to “understand how that even happens.”
She told The Epoch Times that she hopes the resolution sends a message to the CCP that “it’s only fair to everybody to have it” and that “everybody gets to believe what they want to believe.”
Councilman David Tackett voiced “extreme” concern about the CCP’s transnational repression.
“When we get word that anything like this is going on, obviously it has to bother us, and we [have] got to do what we can do,” Tackett told The Epoch Times.
He said the resolution is a “small little piece” to show support and acknowledge the difficulties that practitioners face due to persecution.
In an interview with The Epoch Times, Williams-Johns, drawing parallels to historical injustices, emphasized the importance of freedom over religion.
“We’re not that far from slavery. And you know, my forefathers were in slavery and were enslaved,” she said.
“So I think just having the freedom to be who you would like to be ... is important.”
She addressed persecuted Falun Gong practitioners in China directly, saying, “I’m just praying for them ... I hope this resolution helps ... to give them the strength to continue.”
Hollins initially hesitated to support the resolution due to concerns raised by a colleague. However, after receiving further clarification, he ultimately backed the resolution, saying the persecution of Falun Gong is a human rights issue akin to apartheid in South Africa, which he said he had fought against early in his career.
“It’s a human rights issue, simple as that,” he said, adding that the resolution sends a message to the CCP of support from the New Castle County government for Falun Gong practitioners’ dignity and rights.
‘We Want to Champion Your Cause’
Local Falun Gong practitioner Cindy Liu, a longtime resident of Delaware and a seasoned technologist in the high-tech industry, expressed relief at the resolution’s passage, especially following debates in July that she said were influenced by “a misinformation campaign” in the United States from certain media outlets.“I’m just so happy that the council is able to carry this legacy of supporting fellow practitioners and condemning [the] persecution,” Liu told The Epoch Times, noting that the move upholds practitioners’ “constitutional rights for [freedom of] belief.”
She said the resolution sends “a strong message to the CCP ... that the United States government is standing with its people” and their principles, reinforcing that the U.S. Constitution “is still standing strong.”
For practitioners still facing persecution in China, council members offered words of encouragement. Kilpatrick urged them to “stay strong” and be courageous, while Tackett advised them to “keep the faith ... and keep moving forward.”
The resolution underscores the council’s commitment to addressing global human rights at the local level.
“That’s what we do ... we represent everybody, and you’re here, and you’re voters or constituents, and we represent you, and we want to champion your cause,” Tackett said, referring to local Falun Gong practitioners.
