Falun gong members hold rally Supporters protest treatment in China

NICK LAMMERS -- Staff photos Falun gong practitioners demonstrate their spiritual meditation outside Oakland City Hall on Thursday. Shan Ming Gao, 2, sits with his father, De Guang Goa, practicing the ancient art banned by the Chinese government.

Article last updated:

Saturday, December 09, 2000 8:39 AM MST

Falun gong members hold rally

Supporters protest treatment in China

OAKLAND -- A dozen peaceful demonstrators stood outside Oakland City Hall Thursday afternoon to support the ancient Chinese healing practice of falun gong, an exercise that has been banned by the Chinese government.

Dressed in their national colors, a group of men and women used the City Hall lawn to practice what they call "a powerful mind/body cultivation system," passed down through generations in ancient China.

As traditional music played, passers-by looked at a sidewalk display of disturbing pictures showing alleged police brutality against falun gong practitioners in the People's Republic of China. The poster board display included stories of alleged inhuman treatment and proclamations from cities across the country and the world in support of falun gong.

Sherry Zhang, who works at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, explained the purpose of the protest.

"We are out here generating awareness of what is taking place in China," she said. "Chinese President Jiang Zemin is determined to get rid of falun gong."

Because more than 70 million people in China practice falun gong, "the Chinese government feels threatened and insecure, so they try to rid the practice," she said. "Falun gong has nothing to do with politics. We just want to become better, physically and mentally. That is why we are here. To tell the truth."

In 1992, the practice was first publicly announced in Northern China by its founder, Master Li Hongzhi. The announcement was well-received and supported by the Chinese government at the time. But a year later, the Chinese government began harassing groups practicing falun gong, she said.

On April 25, some 10,000 practitioners gathered in Bejing to request a legal and nonhostile environment to practice their beliefs. After the gathering, she said, the government started a full-scale suppression campaign against falun gong members. Millions of the group's books and tapes were confiscated and burned. Tens of thousands of people were arrested and beaten, she said.

As of Nov. 18, 85 practitioners have died while in police custody, Zhang said. Some 50,000 Chinese have been illegally arrested and detained, 48 group members injected with nerve-damaging drugs and more than 10,000 practitioners sent to labor camps, she said.

According to a Dec. 3 Web site poll conducted by the group, some 80 cities in both North America and Australia have supported the idea of a falun gong day or week. San Jose sponsored such a week in October and is among the cities supporting the practice, said Zhang.

Falun gong aims to improve people's health and upgrade morality in society through meditation. It borrows Buddhist and Taoist concepts but is not a religion. By doing five gentle exercises, practitioners lighten stress, and incorporate kindness and peace in everyday life, she said.

From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, a falun gong exhibition will be held at the San Francisco Civic Center Plaza. For more information, call (877) ATFALUN or the Web site at www.faluninfo.net

?2000 by MediaNews Group, Inc. and ANG Newspapers