Austria also took part in the worldwide candlelight vigil against the brutal suppression of Falun Gong practitioners and to commemorate those who have died for their belief. We received permission for this gathering very late, at noon on Tuesday, April 17. Nevertheless, that evening at 7 pm, approximately fifteen practitioners from all over Austria, especially from Vienna, Salzburg, Styria and Burgenland, gathered together in front of the Chinese Embassy in Vienna.
As we began to play the Falun Gong music and practiced the exercises opposite the embassy building, some Chinese people, who reside at the embassy building, began looking out the windows. Later some even came out on to the street. One Chinese person began photographing us, the wreath, the photos of the practitioners who died and the appeal letter to the Chinese government that we had hung up on the wall over the wreath. He also wrote down the names of the practitioners who had died and was always somewhere near us.
At least one journalist came and interviewed one of our practitioners. People who passed by were interested in the purpose of our gathering. Some watched from the other side of the street, and some even came closer to read the inscription on the wreath and the appeal letter in which we asked China to:
- Stop the murder and death from torture of Falun Gong practitioners
- Release the imprisoned Falun Gong practitioners
- End the suppression through a peaceful dialog
Since we wanted to contact the people at the Chinese Embassy, we spoke to the responsible police inspector present. The inspector said that it was better if he went to contact the people in the embassy than if we did it ourselves. So the inspector went to the embassy to inquire, but the Chinese ambassador refused to see any of us. He refused to personally accept our information package containing the appeal letter. When the police inspector came back and told us the situation, he felt sorry for us. He suggested that, since the embassy didn't want to accept our appeal letter and information package personally, we should put them into the embassy's mailbox slot. So two practitioners went with the inspector towards the main entrance of the embassy where the mailbox was located. As we came closer, one Chinese person was preparing to leave the building. As soon as he saw us coming he turned around and quickly closed the door behind himself. We could clearly see the fear on his face. Then we dropped the envelope into the mailbox.
As I was photographing the wreath and practitioners next to the wreath, who were practicing the exercises, a Chinese man came from behind and threw something directly in front of me onto the ground. He quickly went away before I was even aware of what had happened. As I looked closer I realized that he had brought back the envelope and the appeal letter that we had placed into the mailbox slot a few minutes previously.
During these two hours, I and another fellow practitioner had the chance to talk to the police inspector for some time. The police inspector told me that what we were doing was completely correct; that we should tell the world what is going on in China. He also said he had not known about Falun Gong and the suppression in China before and that he was very interested to read the information material we gave him and watch the video cassette of the "Appeal to China and the World." He also expressed his deep sympathy and concern and said, "This is just a kind of meditation, how can China suppress these people so brutally?"
At 9 pm we finished our candlelight vigil.
The pictures show the following:
interested passer-bys read the appeal letter
bouquet, pictures of the killed practitioners, candles, appeal letter to the Chinese government
appeal letter to the Chinese government hanging on the wall over the bouquet
Category: Rallies & Protests
