Those who practice Falun Gong, a cultivation practice based on Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance, have encountered what they never thought would happen in the United States. Since mid May 2008, on a daily basis, mobs in the hundreds have physically and verbally assaulted Falun Gong practitioners on the streets of Flushing, New York. Six thugs have been arrested. In a recorded telephone conversation, Peng Keyu, the Chinese Consul General in NY, admitted his role in instigating the violence.
Since 1999, when the Chinese Communist Party started the persecution of Falun Gong (also called Falun Dafa), a cultivation practice based on Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance, Falun Gong practitioners have held many rallies in cities throughout the United States, particularly in New York. These rallies call for an end to the Chinese Communist Party and an end to the persecution of Falun Gong. More than 37 million Chinese have responded to their call and have renounced the Communist Party and the Party’s associated organizations.
Recently, however, these peaceful Falun Gong practitioners have encountered what they never thought would happen in the United States: since May 17, 2008, on a daily basis, mobs in the hundreds have physically and verbally assaulted Falun Gong practitioners in Flushing, New York. These mobs have attacked them because they have rallied and called for an end to the Communist Party, an end to the persecution of Falun Gong, and, more recently, an investigation into the Beijing government’s failure to issue pre-earthquake warnings prior to the Sichuan earthquake.
On May 17, one of those assaulted was Judy Chen, 48, a Chinese-American mother of two sons serving in Iraq with the U.S. military, was among those assaulted. The attacker was a middle-aged woman. ”She hit my head, grabbed my neck, pulled my hands, and punched me with her fist.” As a result of the assault Ms. Chen was bleeding from the mouth and had scratches on her hand. A male mob member threatened to kill her. [1]
Not just Chinese but also westerners have been beaten. On May 31, Steve Lancione from Boston found himself surrounded by a crowd of about 50 angry Chinese who began screaming at him and threatening him with violence. Several mob members struck Lancione, who said, “The crowd became violent when the police instructed them to calm down.” [2]
As of May 30, six people had been arrested. According to the New York Times , which quoted the local police, three were charged with assault and others with disorderly conduct. [3]
Not surprisingly, several media reported Chinese Consulate involvement. On May 23, Peng Keyu, the Chinese Consul General in NY, admitted in a recorded phone conversation with someone from a human rights organization, who he took to be a supporter, that the Chinese Consulate instigated the attacks. ”I usually park my car far from the scene because I must avoid being seen by [Falun Gong practitioners].” “They [the mob] came over after they fought with Falun Gong and I shook hands with them one by one and thanked them.” [4]
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Information also came to light that members of Peng’s mob are paid amounts ranging from $50 up to $100 a day. [5] They surround and kick Falun Gong practitioners, reminding us of the mania that occurred during the “Cultural Revolution.” They verbally abuse and assault on duty NYPD police officers. Further they shout anti-American slogans such as, “You are the running dogs of the U.S. government!” “Traitor!” and “Long Live the Communist Party!”
By his own admission, Peng Keyu, the Chinese Consul General in NY, alerted Chinese State media in NY prior to the attack and orchestrated immediate Chinese State TV coverage of the violence. The footage was soon broadcast widely in China and overseas with captions saying Falun Gong was interfering with Sichuan earthquake fundraising. In fact, Falun Gong rallies had been going on long before the Sichuan earthquake and had nothing to do with fundraising.
Focusing on the larger picture, we see that the Chinese Communist regime has been engaging in a campaign offensive in western countries since the beginning of the year in the run up to the Olympics. It is common knowledge that the authorities censor CNN and other western media in China. However, when CNN’s Jack Cafferty made his statement about the Chinese being “thugs and goons”, [6] it miraculously found its way to every corner inside China, leading to a State-sanctioned nationalistic fever against western countries, in and outside China. Waving Chinese national flags (shipped overnight from China via Chinese State-run airlines), tens of thousands of overseas Chinese took to the streets and protested the western media for “biased reporting” of the Tibetan crackdown on monks.
The April Terrorism Intelligence Report by Strategic Forecasting, Inc. provides some insight into the organizational capabilities of the Chinese government and its intelligence collection apparatus inside the United States. During the April 9 Olympic torch relay in San Franscisco, “From the coordinating efforts of the city’s Chinese Consulate, down through local Chinese business and social organizations, and on to the pro-China supporters who photographed the event, the operation showed an efficiency and organizational capability not seen among the anti-China demonstrators.” [7]
Regarding intelligence gathering, on June 11, 2008, Congressman Frank Wolf, announced on the floor of the House of Representatives, that Chinese hackers had attacked computers on Capital Hill and called for “a closed briefing where officials from the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation can brief House members on technological threats from China and other countries.”
[8]
A human rights organization, the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (WOIPFG) released a report that provides an in-depth analysis of the Chinese Communist Party’s overseas strategy. [9] The strategy spans from training future leaders of overseas Chinese in summer camps held in China to establishing political alliances (Chinese community civic organizations) to carry out its objectives.
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While students are routinely recruited to be informants on campus in China, overseas Chinese students organizations have been set up as an instrument of the Communist Party. [10]
Further, the majority of Chinese-speaking media outlets in the United States, especially TV programs and newspapers, are either directly backed by the Chinese government or carry content that is in line with the Chinese government’s agenda. [11]
From San Francisco to Flushing, these recent incidents reveal a high level of sophistication, planning and control. They show us how far the Chinese communist government has been able to infiltrate into the United States. The organized assault on Falun Gong practitioners in Flushing is not only an extension of China’s religious persecution to New York; it exemplifies a strategy to undermine our Constitution and sovereignty.
Footnotes:
[1] Epoch Times, May 20, 2008
http://en.epochtimes.com/news/8-5-20/70864.html
[2] Epoch Times, June 2, 2008
http://en.epochtimes.com/news/8-6-2/71304.html
[3] New York Times, May 30, 2008
[4] Epoch Times, May 24, 2008
http://en.epochtimes.com/news/8-5-24/70954.html
[5] Epoch Times, June 2, 2008
http://news.epochtimes.com/gb/8/6/2/n2139598.htm
[6] Youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esubtXxnuIc&feature=related
[7] Stratfor, Beijing’s Obvious Hand at the U.S. Olympic Torch Run, April 16, 2008
http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/terrorism_weekly_april_16
[8] Christian Science Monitor, June 12, 2008
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0612/p99s01-duts.html
[9] World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong, May 15, 2008
http://www.zhuichaguoji.org/cn/index2.php?option=content&task=view&id=1906&pop=1&page=0
[10] Chinascope, June 19, 2007
http://chinascope.org/main/content/view/609/103/
[11] Chinascope, June 15, 2005
http://chinascope.org/main/content/view/443/148/