Falun Gong
By the end of the 1990s, a decade which had witnessed the mass suicides of the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas, and the attempt by the Aum Supreme Truth in Tokyo to kill thousands of commuters in a sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway, there was a climate of fear and suspicion surrounding spiritual or religious movements with large groups of followers. As a result of this paranoia, the government in China decided to launch a crackdown on various spiritual groups, and amongst those targeted was the Falun Gong. Meaning ‘The practice of the wheel of Dharma’, Falun Gong (originally named Falun Dafa but renamed after this practice), was reported by the Chinese government to have two million members. This figure was perhaps an attempt by the government to play down the actual membership, for the Falun Gong movement itself claimed to have over 100 million.
The Falun Gong’s response to this move by the Chinese government was to hold a silent and peaceful protest in front of the Communist Party headquarters in Beijing. Ten thousand of its members participated in this demonstration on April 25, 1999. Yet, instead of reassuring the Chinese authorities of the harmless intentions of the group, the silent protest threw the government into an even greater panic. Both the size of the assembled group, and the fact that they had been leaked no details of it by the Chinese intelligence services, terrified them. To them, it demonstrated a frightening level of secrecy and organization within the movement and so they concentrated their efforts against it with a renewed vigour.
OUTLAWED
The Falun Gong movement was outlawed in July 1999, and its members were discriminated against. Some members had their properties broken into by the police and their possessions taken, and others were denied the retirement pension to which they were entitled. Some were simply harassed on the street, or as they performed their group exercises in public. Falun Gong claims that some members simply disappeared and were never seen again, or were taken to prison and labour camps on fictitious charges and never released. Chinese lawyers were not allowed to defend the members of the Falun Gong unless agreed with the government, and no international legal representation was permitted. They were accused of fraud and deception and of posing a threat not only to the government but to the very foundation of Chinese society.
The Falun Gong was branded a ‘cult’ by the Chinese government, and even held responsible for the unsolved murders of many Chinese citizens. Consequently, an arrest warrant was issued for Li Hongzhi, the leader of this movement. The government accused him of carrying out these murders through his followers, by influencing them to commit the crimes. He was even accused of the deaths of 1,559 of the members themselves. Also wanted for the organization of ‘illegal’ demonstrations, Li Hongzhi fled to New York in 1996, and China has been pursuing America for his arrest and repatriation since.
INTERNATIONAL INVOLVEMENT
Not only has the US refused to deport Li Hongzhi, but they have condemned the Chinese government for its persecution of the Falun Gong and have passed resolutions which state that China should observe the UN Declaration of Human Rights and put a stop to the false imprisonment and abuse of the Falun Gong members. Yet the Chinese government maintains that the Falun Gong is a dangerous cult, and not the passive, inoffensive movement which America mistakenly perceives it to be. The government even claims that America’s pursuit of these resolutions is a direct attack on Chinese autonomy.
Recognizing their support in the US, 700 members of the Falun Gong went to the World Trade Organization meetings in Seattle in November 1999 to begin a worldwide drive for acceptance of their movement, and to encourage the Chinese government to enter into negotiations with them. Yet the government did not relent, and fought back with an even greater campaign of discrimination against them. The plight of the Falun Gong became internationally known, and the popularity of the group began increasing. They were seen as victims of China’s religious bigotry, and consequently global institutions began to cease trade links with China in support.
FOUNDATION OF THE FALUN GONG
The Falun Gong was founded by Li Hongzhi in 1992. Hongzhi claims to have been born on May 13, 1951 – the birthday of the Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama – but the government refutes this, declaring that their official records state that he was born on July 7, 1952. They maintain that he is falsifying his birthdate in order to claim some kind of link to the Buddha, a link which Hongzhi himself has never asserted. Whether this is true, or whether they are merely attempting to discredit him is unproven.
HONESTY, COMPASSION AND TOLERANCE
The basis of Falun Gong and Hongzhi’s teachings are the achievement of a higher level of spirituality and enlightenment. This is attained through a combination of exercise, to advance body and mind, and belief in a mixture of Confucian, Taoist and Buddhist philosophies which promote honesty, compassion and tolerance. Followers must demonstrate these three virtues in every situation with which they are confronted. There are many levels of this enlightenment and it is an individual pursuit to achieve them. Falun Gong concentrates on the development of each human being as opposed to the advancement of the group.
According to Hongzhi the secrets of the Falun Gong were previously only disclosed by the master to an elite group of students. Such had been the tradition since ancient times in China as the teachings were very valuable and confidential. Li Hongzhi however, apparently on the directives of his own masters, made the teachings available to the public in 1992. As a result, the popularity of the movement grew.
The accusation that Falun Gong is a ‘cult’ is fiercely denied by its members. They protest that it is not even a religion, but rather a discipline. Members of Falun Gong are free to follow any faith they choose. The movement is purely about the progression of the individual and maintains that no one should have their beliefs imposed upon them. Li Hongzhi, although the leader of the movement, is not revered as a God, and does not accept donations to Falun Gong or encourage any activity which raises money in its name. There is no hierarchy within Falun Gong; all members are equal and practice together as such.
APRIL 25, 2000
Yet, the government persisted in its persecution of the movement. On April 25, 2000, the anniversary of the first silent protest against the government action towards the Falun Gong, the authorities in Beijing were placed on high alert. They had warned Beijing in the weeks leading up to the anniversary that there would be a showdown with the ‘doomsday cult’ which was still capable of raising the Devil in China.
They had anticipated the movements of the Falun Gong correctly, as members did return to Tiananmen Square to hold another protest. Yet although the government’s fears had been justified, the action they took against these peaceful protesters was not.
In small groups, the Falun Gong protesters would unfurl a banner or would raise their fists in silent solidarity. Some simply sat in a circle to meditate. Plain-clothed policemen launched themselves at the groups, knocking down men, women and children indiscriminately. But throughout the day, as one group was led away by the authorities, another would arrive in its place and continue the protest. So, the day went on, with the police becoming more and more heavy-handed in their treatment of the protesters. Over the course of a very long day, many members of the Falun Gong were injured and many arrested.
Yet in spite of the arrests and the police brutality, the events of that day proved that the government were unable to crush the Falun Gong, who just kept rising up time and time again. That there was no decisive conclusion, or the anticipated ‘showdown’, was seen as a failure for the government.
INTERNATIONAL DISAPPROVAL
The events were seen in a negative light internationally, and the Clinton administration in the US attacked the Chinese government, claiming that they had again violated international human rights. At a time when the US was debating whether to pass a trading deal with China which would allow it the same low-tariff privileges as its other trading partners, the government’s action and the arrest of innocent and peaceful protesters caused the US great concern. China retaliated by accusing America of hypocrisy. The US was fighting its own domestic terrorism, yet criticized China for its crackdown on the Falun Gong.
VICTIMISATION
Several theories have been put forward as to why China so vehemently victimizes the members of the Falun Gong and stamps down on the movement itself. Some claim that the Communist Party fears the Internet and the
