(Minghui.org) Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visited Australia and New Zealand on March 22-28. In both Sydney and Auckland, he was met with Falun Gong practitioners staging peaceful protests outside his hotels and meeting places.
Falun Gong is a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted in China since 1999. The protesters demonstrated in an attempt to persuade Li to take action to end the persecution and hold Jiang Zemin responsible for the crimes committed during the past 18 years. Jiang is the former Chinese leader who orchestrated the crackdown on Falun Gong.
Falun Gong practitioners hold banners during their peaceful protest at Martin Place in Sydney, Australia.
Peaceful Appeal for Justice
As Li was leaving the airport for his hotel at around midnight on March 22, practitioners were standing on the sidewalk where he could see them from his car. They quietly held up their banners, wanting their voice to be heard by the Chinese leader.
Earlier at 9 p.m., a bus dropped off a group of Chinese students who came to the airport to welcome Li's arrival. When they spotted the Falun Gong group on the sidewalk, they surrounded them and their banners so people couldn't see them from their cars. A police officer, after learning what happened, drove the students away.
Such groups of students and other Chinese “official greeters” for visiting Chinese leaders are typically arranged for and paid by local Chinese embassies.
Practitioners went to Martin Place in Sydney on the 24th to raise awareness of the ongoing persecution.
A practitioner told a reporter from SBS that they came because they wanted to get their point across to the Chinese leader. They wanted the Chinese leaders to stop persecuting the practitioners in China and hold dictator Jiang responsible for their years of suffering.
Telling People the Facts of the Persecution
Chinese Premier Li visited the Fisher & Paykel office in Auckland, New Zealand, on March 28th. The practitioners stood outside of the entrance with their banners up. The same scenario happened when Li stopped by the Langham Hotel and Government House in Epsom.
Peaceful Falun Gong protest as Chinese Premier Li Keqiang leaves Government House in Auckland.
Among those who came to welcome Li, many listened to practitioners tell them about the persecution and why it was wrong. Several chose to quit the Chinese Communist Party and its affiliates to sever ties with the regime. Some were clearly quite pleased, and thanked practitioners for their efforts.
Category: Rallies & Protests
