Shen Yun Takes the Stage in Rome Despite Bomb Threat Scare

China’s Communist Party has targeted the performing arts company globally with threats of violence.

Theatergoers gather ahead of a performance by Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Auditorium della Conciliazione in Rome on March 17, 2026. Leo Botnarenko/The Epoch Times

A bomb threat prompted a police response at a Rome theater on March 17, but New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts began its performance at the Auditorium della Conciliazione on time.

The presenter of the performance in Italy, Associazione Culturale Il Ponte, said that local police arrived at the venue with police dogs before the scheduled 8 p.m. start time. It added that the threat turned out to be a hoax, no incidents were reported, and police officers remained in the theater as the performance began. They were expected to continue monitoring the venue for the remaining three shows: two scheduled on March 18 and one on March 19.

A copy of an email provided to The Epoch Times shows that a bomb threat was sent to the presenter on March 16. The email warned in English that “a bomb was planted in the theater; if the performance continues, an explosion is inevitable.”

Shen Yun, which showcases dance and music performances under the motto “China before communism,” currently has eight companies touring the world simultaneously. Since late December, it has performed in the Italian cities of Torino, Udine, Milan, Livorno, Bari, Ancona, Avellino, and Genova.

In Rome, all tickets for its eight performances were sold out three months before the first show on Feb. 13, according to the presenter.

Shen Yun, founded in 2006 by practitioners of Falun Gong—a widespread spiritual practice centered on the principles of truth, compassion, and tolerance that has faced severe persecution by the Chinese regime since 1999—has become a target of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Over the past two years, the campaign against Shen Yun has intensified significantly. The company has faced a series of bomb and death threats aimed at intimidating theaters hosting its performances, as well as its training facilities in upstate New York.

These threats have extended beyond the company, targeting six world leaders—including  Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Italian President Sergio Mattarella—since January 2026, in attempts to block Shen Yun shows in their countries.

In Canada, a China-linked threat campaign has targeted not only Carney, but also former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, members of Parliament, and other senior officials.

On March 17, Italian Sen. Giulio Terzi di Sant'Agata, a member of the Fratelli d’Italia party, expressed his solidarity with Shen Yun and its artists, pointing to the “growing number of intimidations and threats” via email, according to a translation of his statement.

“In just a few days, these threats—which first appeared about two years ago—have exceeded hundreds and, as reported by Shen Yun officials, are only increasing and taking on new forms,” Terzi said.

He noted that direct pressure from Chinese officials has turned the threatening email messages into a “new form of sabotage.”

“I therefore express my full solidarity with the organizers and artists of Shen Yun who, in the face of new and growing intimidation, continue to promote the values of an open and democratic society through art,” Terzi stated.

Terzi attended a Shen Yun performance at Rome’s Teatro dell'Opera di Roma in February 2025.

“It is more than just a feast for the senses—the feeling, the heart, you understand, it is inside! It’s inside this great work of art,” Terzi told The Epoch Times at the time.

Eva Fu contributed to this report.