Denmark: Fa-rectification activities during the Asia-Europe Summit in Copenhagen

From 23rd to 24th September 2002, more than 2000 representatives from fifteen countries of the EU and ten countries from Asia converged on Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, for the Asia-Europe Summit Meeting that is held once every two years. This meeting also attracted the attention of a lot of news media. Dafa practitioners from the European countries made use of this valuable opportunity to clarify the truth about Falun Dafa to the Chinese delegation, media and politicians from other countries.

In June this year, the Chinese embassy in Denmark exerted huge pressure on the local police. They viciously mixed up the petition activities of Falun Gong, which are extremely peaceful appeal activities, carried out in front of the Chinese embassy for three years continuously, with some activities organised by other associations in the same place. They lodged the so-called complaints against Falun Gong activities, which simply does not conform to the fact, and also made unreasonable requests to the local police, and even coerced the local police station by appeal to its higher authority. Many police officers have understood the truth about Falun Gong after contact with Dafa practitioners during the past three years, so the unreasonable requests and the absurd complaints in the letter from the Chinese embassy were refuted by the local police station. However, under the Chinese embassy's frequent schemes, the local police finally yielded to the pressure. At the end of June, our application for the petition location opposite the main entrance of the Chinese embassy was suddenly cancelled without any explanation, and the petition location was moved to a street corner over 20 metres away.

Three years ago when this persecution started until now, the location opposite the main entrance to the Chinese embassy is the place that Danish Dafa practitioners petition and practise Falun Gong exercises. The banner in front of the embassy, with its yellow background and red characters reading “Falun Dafa is good” caught the attention of numerous Chinese delegation members every day.

Where there are problems, that is where we need to clarify the truth. When one nation is being damaged by the Jiang regime’s spreading tyranny of persecution, how can we just sit by and watch?

In the following several months, we revealed the facts through approaches such as talking to people face-to-face, sending truth-clarifying letters and so on. The truth material was sent to different people, from the local police to the police head office, from congressman to parliamentary law committee; the truth VCDs were sent to various judicial departments and the police, as well as all levels of local government. Except telling the truth about the persecution which is occurring in Mainland China, we also emphatically exposed the Jiang regime’s attempts to export its persecution overseas through its embassies and consulates. For example, a practitioner who peacefully appealed in front of the Chinese embassy in Denmark had all his private property that he had left in China confiscated. His family members in China are now suffering daily persecution from the Chinese police. Dafa practitioners’ letters regarding this persecution case were published on the Danish parliament’s web site, and also sent to the Judicial Minister and Foreign Minister of Denmark. Some members of parliament who have a deep understanding about Dafa directly intervened in this case and contacted the relevant government departments. The Danish Parliament Law Committee held a conference for this special case and invited us to explain the facts. Finally, the television broadcasting stations and the newspapers all reported this matter, which caused the strong feelings amongst the human-rights respecting, kind-hearted Danish people. Under Danish people's condemnation, the local police station has to put our petition location back to a place near the main entrance of the Chinese embassy.

During this period of constantly clarifying the truth, we applied for permission for the European Dafa practitioners to petition in front of the Chinese embassy during the Asia-Europe Summit Meeting. However, after much effort, the police still overruled our application for holding a petition and demonstration opposite the main entrance to the Chinese embassy. In the permission issued by the local police station, the petition location was moved about ten metres away from the main entrance of the embassy.

On Saturday, 21st September, several hundred Dafa practitioners from Europe, Asia, and North America came to Copenhagen. On the evening of their arrival, they gathered in front of the Chinese embassy and held a candlelight vigil. For the Asia-Europe Summit Meeting, the police arranged a formidable police force. In front of the Chinese embassy, fully armed police and police vehicles were concentrated and the atmosphere was rather tense.

At the beginning, Dafa practitioners arrived the opposite the main entrance of the Chinese embassy, sat in rows and did the Fa Zheng Nian meditation. Meanwhile, several Dafa practitioners had a friendly conversation with the police officers. The police explicitly indicated that we can hold our petition at any place in front of the Chinese embassy. When we asked why they need to send so many police officers here when Falun Gong practitioners are so gentle and peaceful, one officer replied, “Because we heard you may encounter some troubles, for example, being attacking by others, and so on. We are here to protect you.” Another policeman said that the peacefulness demonstrated by the practitioners is the same as that shown by Gandhi. There were also some police officers who expressed an interest in learning the Falun Gong exercises.

The police on duty changed from one group to another and the friendly conversations between us made them get a better understanding of Dafa and Dafa practitioners. When we finished the activities on the day, we clapped our hands to express thanks for those laborious police on duty, the kind-hearted Danish police nodded to show their acknowledgement for us.

Translated from Chinese Clear Harmony at
http://www.yuanming.net/articles/200210/12730.html