25 December 2000 on Tiananmen Square and Now Are the Times Finally Changing?
4 min readIn the West, Christmas is a special time. People put their best foot forward and go out of their way to bring others joy. Unfortunately, 25 December 2000 on Tiananmen square did not turn out to be a joyous occasion for some folks who gathered there. Their aim was to bestow the wonderfulness of a unique spiritual meditation practice which had brought them so much peace and joy. They wanted to and to thank China for their ancient culture.
Ai Weiwei’s ironic homage to Chinese “door god prints.” Like the “door god prints,” that are traditionally hung on doors in China to ward off evil, this “Guardian Christmas screensaver,” to put on your computer, is supposed to “ward off the evil river crabs” ( “river crabs” is internet slang created by Chinese netizens in reference to Internet censorship or the other censorship.
The group proudly set out to display their beautiful golden colored banners with the words Truthfulness Compassion and Tolerance and “Falun Dafa is Good”
They had traveled to Tiananmen from far and wide to demonstrate their support for the Ancient Chinese qigong practice. It had originated in China, so it was only fitting that the followers show their solidarity. At the same time, they hoped that the Chinese Government would soften their attitude towards them. They hoped that the misunderstanding the Chinese Government had of Falun Gong might be cleared up as it was banned in 1999. Founded in 1993 in China it was enormously successful but the Regime felt threatened by the sheer numbers it attracted. So Jiang Zemin, the then Primer forbade it.
At 9 am, four to five banners with the words “Falun Dafa is Good” and “Falun Dafa is Innocent” printed on them were unfurled. Suddenly there was a screeching of police car tires and sirens. They were surrounded. Some of the startled people were immediately forced into three police vehicles.
Ten minutes later seven or eight policemen rushed towards another two people and dragged them to a police vehicle. Plainclothes policemen kicked and manhandled them. At 9:20 am, others unfurled red and yellow banners in front of the National flagpole. Two people were giving flyers to the ever gathering crowds. Several young folks ran through the crowds of tourists while holding up their banners over their heads saying in a loud voice, “Falun Dafa is Good!” More policemen and plainclothes agents arrived and surrounded one of the youngsters, punching and kicking him without regard for the many domestic and foreign tourists who were watching the spectacle in absolute horror.
Before going to Tiananmen, the group was aware that they might get harassed, so they resolved amongst themselves to not yield to the police’s disregard for their spiritual convictions. They put their lives on the line and resisted arrest. Several policemen dragged them by the hair and kicked them in order to force them into the cars. They seemed to have no sense to uphold Chinese honor looking frenzied as they drove their police vehicles toward the crowds to scatter them.
Innocent eyes witnessed the beatings and angry yellings reverberating through Tiananmen square — it was 9:40 am. More practitioners unfurled banners and then all chaos broke out as the shouting and chasing around the square continued. This time, most of them were female practitioners. Then there was another round of vicious beating with police batons.
While holding her several-month-old baby with an 8 or 9-year-old boy, a mother said in a loud voice, “Falun Dafa is good!” Several young plainclothes policemen dragged them into the car and one continuously kicked the small boy’s legs.
Many brave women refused to be dragged into the cars saying, “Falun Dafa is good!” The policemen put their arms around the practitioners’ necks, gagging them with cloth, and threw them heartlessly into their vehicles. Before they closed the door, they viciously kicked the practitioners in their backs. A plainclothes policeman threw a female Hong Kong tourist into a police car. Fortunately, the fellow tourists stopped him.
A lot of the women who were arrested opened the windows and shouted, “Falun Dafa is good!” Two plainclothes policewomen and several plainclothes policemen punched and kicked them fiercely putting their arms around the practitioners’ necks in front of numerous tourists.
It was not over, at 9:50 am four plainclothes policemen rushed toward a young female woman. One almost strangled her with his arm. Meanwhile, many older women and young people unfurled banners and shouted, ” Falun Dafa is good!” Some tourists took photos or videotaped the scenes. Policemen opened one of the foreigner’s films. They forced one female foreigner into a police car to check her videotape, which brought much concern from a dozen of her fellow tourists.
A Witness
December 25, 2000
What should have been a day of forgiveness and compassion, turned out to be just the opposite. Our thoughts are with all who don’t have a voice. We will continue to fight for freedom.
Falun Gong is the most persecuted group of people of conscience in China in the world today.
Watch the Christmas spirit of Falun Dafa people in the video below
CATEGORY: Accounts of Persecution
