Great Interest from Swedish Media

Swedish newspapers have reported about the event in Tian An Men Square when over 30 Falun Gong practitioners where arrested among them seven Swedish. On Nov 20 and 21 both television and newspapers in Sweden reported this news. Already within a few hours after they had been arrested in Beijing both newspaper websites and Swedish television reported it and then followed up on it during the whole day. In this way, all Swedish citizens could follow what was happening to the western practitioners in Beijing.
Below you can find a short summary from some of the articles and television news which reported this event:

Expressen 01-11-21

(…) They knew the risks about demonstrating on Tian An Men Square in Beijing. Still seven Swedish Falun Gong practitioners chose to go there and expose themselves to the brutality of the Chinese police.
(…) The Chinese police are well known for brutal methods against Falun Gong practitioners in China.
(…) – On the square, a lot of policemen quickly surrounded us. They pulled me into the car and hit me several times with fists in my face. Then they stamped on my head and kicked my body. Several others where also beaten. Women where pulled away by the hair, says Roland Odar to TT [Swedish news agency].

Aftonbladet 01-11-21

(…) Peace journey for Falun Gong ended with brutal beating in the police bus on the way to the arrest.
(…) Evil, pure evil. This is how Roland Odar describes the brutal beatings that he and other Falun Gong practitioners where exposed to on Tian An Men square in Beijing.
(…) – I was afraid. He will kill me, I thought.
(…) – We wanted to draw people’s attention to the evil that all Chinese are exposed to.
But perhaps he never thought that the westerners would be treated in the same brutal way.
(…) – We know that Chinese women are being raped and badly beaten by police, so we tried to keep together, says Anne Hakosalo, 33.
(…) – But now we have shown the world what happens to peaceful Falun Gong practitioners. And that it can happen to westerners too.

Dala-Demokraten 01-11-21

(…) The participants held a demonstration on their individual initiative, without informing of it beforehand. This was to avoid alerting the Chinese authorities.
Falun Gong practitioners in Sweden, especially Chinese, are exposed daily to illegal tapping of the wires and other types of monitoring, according to Mats and Eva Karlsson.
(…) The background to the demonstration in China was the wish to show solidarity towards the Chinese practitioners.
“In China people are persecuted because they wish to live according to the principle of Truthfulness – Compassion – Forbearance. By this I wish to make the world look at China and the extreme brutalities that happen there.”
These are the words from one of the participants, Yvonne Kleberg, in an e-mail.
- The ones who demonstrated took a great risk to support humanity, says Mats Karlsson.

Värmlands Folkblad 01-11-21

(…) China yesterday deported a group of people, including Swedish and other nationalities, after a demonstration in Beijing. The news agency “New China” and the State controlled radio said that the group would be leaving the country.
(…) In Stockholm the Falun Gong practitioners yesterday invited media to a meeting in Humlegården to talk about the demonstration.

Nya Wermlands Tidningen 01-11-21

(…) The group posed first like tourists do for group pictures. Then they took out their yellow banner with the wording Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance – the leading words of Falun Gong. More than that they didn’t have time to do before the police attacked.
(…) A practitioner, Anders Eriksson from Strängnäs, said that fear does not stop a Falun Gong practitioner.
- Fear shall not control us, but how to live as an individual and have the right to be an individual in China.
Journalist – Can one understand that China’s government is worried about there being 100 million Falun Gong practitioners.
- Yes. That Falun Gong is double the size of the Party and that so many have another view than the Party one must worry them.
Journalist – May Falun Gong be a political alternative.
- Never.

SVT 1 Rapport 01-11-20

Six Swedes and another thirty people where arrested today on Tian An Men Square in Beijing. The group tried to hold a demonstration against the beating and killing of hundreds of Falun Gong practitioners in China. (…)

TV4 News 01-11-20

“… Falun Gong is outlawed in China today. (…) Literature has been burned, practitioners arrested and beaten. This is an international movement that demands to be permitted in China and that practitioners there shall no longer risk prison and torture.
(…) Kjell Anneling, Swedish ambassador in Beijing – They will definitely be interrogated. (…) I do not think anything serious has happened to them, they are foreign citizens and the media has brought great attention to it.
(…) Anders Eriksson, Falun Gong practitioner – We are of course worried about their safety, but we hope the Foreign Department can help to get them out as soon as possible.

SVT Uutiset in the afternoon 01-11-20 (Finnish news)
(…) There are millions of practitioners around the world. In 1999 the movement was banned in China and since then over 300 Falun Gong practitioners have died in Chinese prisons.
(…) Journalist – One of them was arrested on an earlier occasion just because she is a Falun Gong practitioner. It was in 1999. So the demonstrators knew the risk they took today.
M Nordstrand – I would go twice and more than that. It is such an important issue. This persecution is so cruel, the persecution against the Falun Gong practitioners.
(…) They were detained almost immediately by police. Via a phone call to TT [Swedish news agency] they talked about how they had been beaten with fists and kicks.
Journalist – Most of the people who held the demonstration today must have been aware of the risks they where taking?
Lilly Wang – I feel that I respect their courage to stand up for the good principles.

SVT 2 Aktuellt 01-11-20

Several demonstrations to support the detained practitioners were held today.
Yi Zhang Lu, practitioner – They are imprisoned and then they are forced to sign so- called guarantee letters saying they will give up Falun Gong. If they don’t do this they are threatened with torture, detention in labour camps and other things.
(…)