International Human Rights Day - U.K. Activities

On International Human Rights Day (10 December 2000), practitioners traveled from all over the UK to London. We started the day by practicing the exercises for two hours in front of the Chinese Embassy. Two representatives from Amnesty Internatonal also attended the event.

After the practice session, we walked from the Chinese Embassy through the busiest parts of London and Chinatown. Many of the practitioners wore yellow Falun Gong shirts or carried banners, looking very noticeable. Members of the public were very interested and took leaflets and newspapers from the practitioners. In Chinatown people came out of their shops to watch the practitioners. In the restaurants people stopped eating to watch the long line of practitioners passing by. Almost everyone was happy to take materials from the practitioners.

We walked to 10 Downing Street, the home of the Prime Minister of the UK. When we reached there we handed in a petition of 100,540 signatures from members of the public. In our letter we asked the Prime Minister to help us in ending the persecution of practitioners in China A representative of the UK Government took the petition and said that he would give it to the Prime Minister. Just as we left the house, the Prime Minister's wife drove up. She saw the banners and the practitioners practicing the exercises in front of the Prime Minister's house.

The event attracted attention from the UK media. Practitioners talked to 4 radio stations (two of which cover the London area); a national BBC station; and the BBC World Service Chinese service which sends reports directly into China.

All of the interviews were very favourable to Falun Gong. The practitioners were able to explain the truth and set out the details of the persecution.

The police also left us early - they told us that they did not need to be there as "our group was alright" and they did not think that we would cause any trouble.

At the end of the day the practitioners gathered to learn the Law together. Everyone felt that the day had gone well.

U.K. Practitioners

Dec. 11, 2000