(Minghui.org) As the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) expanded its influence throughout the world, with generous help from the West, it also actively pushed its communist ideology and suppressed religious freedom wherever it went. Fortunately, world leaders have recognized such despicable behavior by the CCP and responded to it.

In July, 643 lawmakers from 32 countries signed a joint statement condemning the CCP’s brutal persecution of Falun Gong, a peaceful meditation based on the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. The statement praised Falun Gong practitioners for their courage and urged the CCP to immediately stop its severe human rights abuses.

Among the 643 signatories were 26 lawmakers in Sweden. They all received a letter from the Chinese Embassy in Sweden with defamatory propaganda from the CCP. Instead of yielding to the tyranny, these Swedish lawmakers chose to expose the incident and further show the world the true nature of the CCP.

Safeguarding Freedom of Speech

Having witnessed the “wolf warrior” diplomacy from the CCP, Swedish lawmakers said they are now more determined to support Falun Gong practitioners.

Lotta Johnsson Fornarve, Second Deputy Speaker of National Legislature (Riksdag), said that elected officials would not bow to CCP threats. Instead of remaining silent, they would continue to defend human rights such as issues related to Falun Gong.

The Chinese Ambassador requested meetings with these Swedish officials, but the requests were turned down. Officials said that Sweden does not welcome such diplomats.

David Lega, Member of European Parliament (MEP), said this was not the first time for him to receive letters like this. In a recent newspaper article, he said that disinformation by the CCP during the coronavirus pandemic had changed its relationship with Sweden. And now, such a disturbing threat from CCP diplomats made it even worse.

The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), an organization that Lega is associated with, had issued a statement in July criticizing the suppression of Falun Gong in China. “Today we highlight the plight of the Falun Gong together with all religious minorities who have suffered from repression under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party,” wrote the statement, “We remind the world of the depravities they continue to suffer and urge the world to stand up and speak out for an end to such repression, an end to impunity, and for justice, accountability, human rights and human dignity for all the peoples of China.”

Hungarian MP: Most Absurd Moment in Political Career

Bernadett Szel, member of the Hungarian parliament, also received a letter from the Chinese Embassy for cosigning the joint statement along with over 600 other lawmakers. She mentioned this on Facebook and referred to the letter as the “most absurd moment in [her] political career.”

She said it is “extremely abnormal” for a Hungarian elected member of Parliament to receive a letter from another country’s embassy telling her what to do, what can be signed, and what cannot be signed.

People in the free world, including many European countries, believe in the freedom of belief. People should not be detained and tortured for their upright beliefs, she added.

U.S. Secretary of State: Protect Western Values

When speaking at the Wisconsin State Capitol on September 23, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the CCP had taken multi-pronged approaches forcing the communist ideology in the Western countries. One example was a letter sent to Wisconsin State Senator Roger Roth from Wu Ting in China’s Consulate at Chicago.

After noticing the letter was asking for a resolution to praise China’s handling of the pandemic, which had caused millions of infections in the U.S. alone, Roth ignored the letter, only to be contacted again for the same reason. Instead of yielding, he ended up initiating a resolution stating that “the Communist Party of China deliberately and intentionally misled the world on the Wuhan coronavirus.”

“What happened here in Wisconsin is happening all across the world. It’s happening all across the United States. It’s happening in statehouses all across America,” Pompeo added.

Unfortunately, in some cases the CCP succeeded. After a California state senator proposed a bill in 2017 expressing support for Falun Gong practitioners over the brutal persecution in China, the Chinese consulate in San Francisco wrote a letter to the state legislature defaming Falun Gong. Unfortunately, the California State Senate gave in and halted the proposed bill.

The CCP is different from other countries that intend to influence the U.S., Pompeo continued. “The party and its proxies aim to make Americans receptive to Beijing’s form of authoritarianism,” Pompeo explained. He said every state legislature had probably received letters from the CCP during such a coordinated propaganda campaign, let alone countless pro-CCP organizations that carry benign names.

“Know that when you are approached by a Chinese diplomat, it is likely not in the spirit of cooperation or friendship,” Pompeo added, “Know that if you’re offered a trip to China when the pandemic travel restrictions are lifted, that you should ask who is paying for the trip, and if that person is linked – directly or indirectly – to the Chinese Communist Party.”

Consistent with this approach, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) updated its Policy Manual on October 2, barring members of communist and other totalitarian parties from visa and immigration.

The Global Service Center for Quitting the CCP has been advocating severing ties with the CCP for years. Since Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party was published in 2004, more than 360 million Chinese have renounced their membership of the CCP and its junior organizations, namely the Youth League and Young Pioneers.

Related Article in Chinese:党员被禁入美-恐波及团员、队员-“三退”有出路

Category: Perspective