(Minghui.org) Practitioners of Falun Dafa, a spiritual discipline being persecuted in China, continued their peaceful protest outside the Moscone Center, where the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) Summit was held, on November 15, 2023. They demanded that the head of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) immediately end the 24-year-long persecution, release all imprisoned practitioners, and hold the perpetrators of the persecution responsible for their crimes.
Falun Dafa practitioners protest outside the Moscone Center where the APEC Summit was held November 11-17.
A reporter interviews a practitioner.
Many people who walked by their protest encouraged them. Some were shocked to learn about the persecution in China and the state-sanctioned organ harvesting from living practitioners. Police officers said that they knew about the persecution in China. Reporters from several media outlets interviewed practitioners and reported on the persecution.
Mr. Wu Junxiang from the San Francisco Falun Dafa Association said, “We demand that the Chinese leader immediately end the brutal persecution in China. The persecution has cost the lives of many practitioners and pushed China into a corrupt situation. Those who practice Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance are good people. Denying their existence means the government forbids people from being good. In other words, the government only wants bad people to thrive, and this will put the country in a dangerous situation.
“We demand that the persecution end immediately. People are watching and so are gods. The perpetrators are committing crimes. It’s all documented by history, and no one can escape. The sooner the persecution ends, the fewer crimes they’ll commit.”
Ms. Liu Ping traveled from Sacramento to join the protest. She said the CCP continued to persecute Falun Dafa. Many practitioners have died as a result of the persecution. She called on practitioners outside China to insist that the CCP end the persecution, stop forcing practitioners to renounce their faith, and release all practitioners who are illegally incarcerated.
Ms. Ding Yue (right) and her husband demand the CCP release her mother Ms. Meng Zhaohong.
Ms. Ding Yue’s mother Ms. Meng Zhaohong is imprisoned in China because she refuses to renounce her faith. Ms. Ding’s husband and their one-year-old participated in the protest outside the venue where the APEC meetings were held.
The CCP's persecution has continued, and the number of practitioners incarcerated has increased. Over the past 24 years, Ms. Meng has been arrested and sentenced to prison multiple times. She has been repeatedly tortured in forced labor camps and a drug rehab center. Her latest sentence was four years and she remains imprisoned.
Her daughter Ms. Ding said, “I came here today to tell the leaders of the world, the congregations, and the media that Falun Dafa teaches people to be good and that practitioners are good people. Former CCP leader Jiang Zemin launched the persecution in 1999 and it continues until today. The CCP is definitely responsible for the persecution of practitioners.
“My mother is just one of the tens of thousands of Falun Dafa practitioners who are savagely tortured in China because of their practice. I hope those who attend APEC can take time to understand Falun Dafa and help end the persecution.”
Falun Dafa practitioners filed a lawsuit against Cisco Systems, Inc. and two of its former executives in 2011. The lawsuit alleged that the San Jose-based tech giant provided technology to the CCP that helped it build a vast surveillance network to identify and track down Falun Dafa practitioners, resulting in their subsequent arrests and torture.
Dr. Terri Marsh, a principal attorney representing the plaintiffs in this case, said, “Cisco was among the high-tech companies vying for access to the Chinese technology market. As our complaint alleges, to secure access to the lucrative technology market in China, the defendants marketed, designed, and developed several high-level solutions, e.g., integration of application designs, that show Public Security officers and Party agents how to identify, round up, and forcibly convert Falun Gong believers in China.”
Chris Kitze, a business owner, said that all the leaders at the APEC and all the CEOs should know how the CCP has persecuted practitioners over the past 24 years and distance themselves from the Party.
Ms. Liu thanked an officer who protected practitioners from harassment by pro-CCP activists that took place the day before. According to Ms. Liu, the practitioners were standing quietly holding their banners at the corner of Market St. and 3 rd St. the previous night when pro-CCP activists showed up, shoved them, and blocked their banners with CCP flags.
The officer saw what they were doing and stopped them. He warned them, “Your flags are not supposed to touch or hit others. I just saw what you did. If you hit anyone with those flags again, I’ll throw you in jail.”
“The pro-CCP activists stopped being aggressive and violent after the officer warned them,” said Ms. Liu.
A pro-democracy parade marched in front of the practitioners. One of the particpants held his thumb up and said, “Falun Dafa is good and I stand with it. The CCP should end the persecution and stop harvesting organs from living practitioners for sale. The culprits should be held responsible.”
Ms. Yvette Corkrean is running for the California state senate.
Ms. Yvette Corkrean, who is running for the California state senate, told practitioners that she had just witnessed the pro-CCP activists beating up the anti-CCP activists outside the Moscone Center.
She is a nurse, and after hearing how the CCP harvests practitioners’ organs for transplant without anesthesia, she was in disbelief. She said, “My heart is broken. That is so evil.
“What is happening in China is terrible. [The CCP] is murdering innocent people and harvesting their organs while they are still alive.” She believes that Californians and Americans should wake up because the CCP has infiltrated the U.S.
“Harvesting organs from living people is absolutely evil,” she said. She planned to photograph the fliers about organ harvesting and post them online.
Before she left, she told practitioners that she liked the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance.
Eric Comei lives near the Moscone Center and said he often sees practitioners protesting outside the Chinese Consulate. “I like Falun Dafa. It’s a good exercise that improves one’s health. Why does the CCP choose to persecute it? It’s wrong,” he said.
Decota, who is also from San Francisco, said she read about the atrocity of live organ harvesting in China a few years ago. “I was absolutely shocked that such a thing happens in China. At the same time, I am not surprised. The CCP has been abusing its people. It’s very dark,” she said. “Live organ harvesting is inhumane and the CCP should not have done that. I support your peaceful activities and your appeals one hundred percent. I know that many practitioners have died as a result of the persecution. It’s very evil.”
Mr. Abe Chakib said he supports practitioners.
Mr. Abe Chakib works near the Moscone Center and had never heard of Falun Dafa. After he heard what the CCP has done to practitioners in the persecution, he was indignant. “That is unjust. Something should be done to stop the persecution. I support the practitioners’ human rights,” he said.
Wendy says that the atrocity of live organ harvesting is horrifying.
Wendy took photos of the banners about live organ harvesting and said, “I believe harvesting organs for sale from living people is wrong. In the U.S. people can choose freely. They can choose to donate their organs or not. China’s system of forced organ harvesting is inhumane and evil.
“People should follow the principles of Falun Dafa, and we should be kind,” she said. She told practitioners that she would tell more people about the CCP’s crimes against humanity.
Helena Valentine hopes that one day the persecution will end.
San Francisco resident Ms. Helena Valentine said that she liked the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. She knew about the persecution and said, “The persecution is wrong. The CCP not only harvests organs from living practitioners, they also do the same to political dissidents and sells their organs.”
She admired practitioners’ persistent efforts to speak up and tell the truth to raise public awareness of the persecution. “I hope one day the persecution will end,” she said.
When she noticed the practitioners’ protest, Karsha stopped and talked. She said, “I don’t like the CCP persecuting the Chinese people. Communism not only endangers the Chinese people in China, it does the same to Americans. People should wake up.”
She said that God has his arrangement for mankind. “I support your appeal, and I will pray for you. You must continue doing this,” she said.