As part of a nationwide anti-torture exhibition tour of Northern England, Falun Gong practitioners visited the ancient city of York on Sunday the 21st of November 2004.

Some of the practitioners demonstrated the Falun Gong exercises whilst others distributed leaflets introducing Falun Gong to the local people and visitors in the city centre. Posters were displayed to expose the torture methods used in Chinese labour camps and prisons to force Falun Gong practitioners to renounce their belief in Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance. Practitioners collected petition signatures calling for an immediate end to the persecution of Falun Gong in China and for bringing the prime instigator of the persecution, former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin, to justice. They also asked the public to help rescue their relatives in China who are deprived of their basic human rights just because they practise Falun Gong.

A western gentleman came to the practitioners and said that he read reports today about western nations deliberately ignoring the serious human rights violations in China due to potential financial investment opportunities. He immediately came to sign our petition when he saw the activity concerned human rights in China.

A York city councillor, who received our invitation letter informing him of the anti-torture exhibition, specially came to sign our petition.

A Chinese girl spent a long time reading our posters. A practitioner went to talk to her and give her Falun Gong information material. She said that she did not believe this torture is happening in China. The practitioner explained to her that all torture cases displayed on the posters are real. Because the persecution is unlawful, it is carried out behind closed doors and is hidden from the general public in China. If people in China knew the brutality of this persecution, then the persecution could not have continued. The girl said that she was a Christian and that she also knew that just because she hasn’t seen them, it doesn’t mean that these things are not happening.

During the activity, it rained and many petition forms got wet. This made signing them difficult. But people tried very hard to put their name down clearly. Despite being able to speak little English, one practitioner also joined the others to inform passers-by about the on going brutal persecution of Falun Gong in China and achieved very good effects. Passers-by were able to understand him and came to sign our petition. The anti-torture exhibition in York ended very successfully.