Irish police officers, or the Gardaí, were “unwittingly” used by the Chinese communist regime during Premier Li Qiang’s visit in Dublin this week, a group of demonstrators claimed.
According to the Irish Falun Dafa Association (IFA), a group of adherents of the spiritual group, who gathered “peacefully to raise awareness and highlight the persecution” of the group in China during the state visit, were obscured from sight by police officers while pro-Beijing crowds were allowed to shout and wave flags near the delegation.
Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong, is a spiritual discipline with slow-moving exercises and the doctrine of “truthfulness, compassion, tolerance.”
Since 1999, adherents of the belief in China have been harassed, imprisoned, tortured, and killed. In 2019, a people’s tribunal in London, chaired by Sir Geoffrey Nice, KC, found that practitioners of Falun Gong had been the main victims of China’s state-sanctioned forced organ harvesting.
In response, practitioners outside of China have campaigned for international pressure on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and often held peaceful demonstrations when CCP officials visit their countries.
During Mr. Li’s visit to Ireland this week, over a dozen practitioners staged demonstrations on Tuesday outside the hotel where the delegation was staying, and outside of Phoenix Park, where the Chinese premiere was greeted by Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar.
In a press release, IFA suggested that the policing of its demonstrations has been disproportionate, and the group was told by some officers that protests and banners were not allowed outside the hotel where the delegation was staying.
“We were told in no uncertain terms [on Tuesday] that we were not allowed ‘any protest here today’ due to an ‘order from above,’” the statement said, adding that the group was later “ordered to move to a ‘designated area’ away from the hotel in a darkened and quiet part of the road, where few people could see or find us.”
“This obviously defeated the whole purpose of our humanitarian mission,” the statement reads.
The group said they later saw CCP supporters “gathered and were shouting and waving red flags, held up on long poles” and their activities appeared to be facilitated by police at multiple locations including on busy parts of the road and near the hotel.
“All that evening, Irish Falun Gong practitioners were cordoned off everywhere we went and surrounded by Riot Squad Gardai, as well as the regular Gardai,” the statements, adding that officers “by and large were very polite and courteous.”
The IFA said the group had previously demonstrated at the same hotel when there were Chinese delegations.
“We would gather peacefully, in a dignified manner, and at a courteous distance, across the road from the hotel, with banners and leaflets to highlight the barbarous forced organ harvesting and the persecution of Falun Gong,” the association said, suggesting the policing of the event was disproportionate.
In one of the photos the IFA released, 18 officers can be seen standing shoulder-by-shoulder in front of two banners.
The writings on the banner were obscured by the officers. According to the IFA, the banners say “Falun Dafa is Good” and “Stop the Persecution of Falun Gong,” and a similar scene was seen on Wednesday outside of Phoenix Park.
Demonstrators were also told by officers at one point on Tuesday that a banner, which says “Support 416 million Chinese People Who Quit the Chinese Communist Party,” was not allowed because it spread “hatred,” although the instruction was later overruled by another officer, the statement said.
The IFA said demonstrators reported being followed by suspected CCP agents, and some police interventions appeared to have occured “at the behest of a CCP agent.”
“The Gardai were ‘doing what we were told.’ Overall, the Gardaí were very courteous and respectful. They had no issues with us. This does not take away from the terrible realisation that Falun Gong practitioners were harassed by Chinese regime agents, and the Gardaí of a democratic country were, it seems, unwittingly, and as we discovered many times during that evening, unwillingly, used, and seemingly influenced to assist the Chinese Communist Regime.”
In a statement to The Epoch Times, a police spokesperson said, “An Garda Síochána [The police] recognises the right to peaceful protest and has a strong tradition of facilitating freedom of peaceful assembly. A comprehensive policing plan was put in place to facilitate the official State visit of the Premier of the People’s Republic of China, Mr. Li Qiang.”
It appears no other groups were protesting during Mr. Li’s visit.
One day before the state visit, the IFA had called on Mr. Varadkar to raise “the issue of the ongoing persecution and the forced organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners in China” with Mr. Li in a letter to the prime minister.
Following his meeting with the Chinese premier, Mr. Varadkar told reporters, “[I] raised our concerns about the situation in Xinjiang and Tibet, in Hong Kong as well, and also the forthcoming trial of Jimmy Lai,” a pro-democracy media mogul in Hong Kong who’s on trial over alleged offences under the Beijing-imposed National Security Law.
The taoiseach said Chinese officials “have a different perspective on these things” but “were certainly willing to have them raised.”
It comes as the United States tightens control on exporting semiconductors to China as the two countries compete for technology supremacy.
During Mr. Li’s visit, the premier reopened beef imported from Ireland and introduced 15-day visa-free travel for Irish citizens.
Beijing’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs later said the regime is hoping Ireland can play a role in developing Beijing’s relationship with Europe, and claimed that Ireland abides by the so-called One China principle.
Mr. Varadkar later clarified that Ireland is still following the One China policy, which means recognising Beijing as the only Chinese authority and not having official diplomatic ties with Taiwan, which is distinct from the CCP’s One China principle, with claims that the mainland has “inalienable” rights over Taiwan’s sovereignty.
