Remarks Before the Falun Gong Rally
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Remarks by Suzanne Scholte, Chairman of the North Korea Freedom Coalition It is a great honor to be here with Dr. Lily Zhang, Falun Gong practitioners, members of the human rights community and Members of Congress. Today at this rally we mark the tragic 10th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party’s unprovoked and violent campaign of terror against the Falun Gong and to call upon the CCP to end this persecution. As I read through the most recent annual report produced by the Falun Dafa Information Center about this persecution, I was reminded of a poem written by a German pastor Martin Niemöller to describe how a rising and growing evil in just one country can not only bring terrible suffering in that country, but will eventually effect the entire world. Niemoller was a German Christian pastor who initially supported Hitler until he released how evil this man was. I would like to paraphrase Niemoller’s poem to address today’s events: The Chinese Communist Party came after the students but I was not a student, so I did not speak out. The Chinese Communist Party came after the Falun Gong but I was not Falun Gong, so I did not speak out; The Chinese Communist Party came after the labor activists and the human rights lawyers, but I was not a labor activist or a lawyer, so I did not speak out. The Chinese Communist Party came after the Tibetans, but I was not a Tibetan or a follower of the Dalai Lama, so I did not speak out; The Chinese Communist party came after the petitioners, but I was not a petitioner so I did not speak out; The Chinese Community Party came after the Uyghurs of East Turkistan, but I was not a a Uyghur or a Muslim, so I did not speak out. Pastor Niemoller’s poem ends with the chilling conclusion: The Chinese Communist Party’s persecution is not only affecting the people of China, but it also responsible for the suffering in Burma and Sudan and North Korea for its constant support for the murderous dictators and regimes in these countries. It is not too late if we stand together in one voice and support those who are being persecuted and encourage those citizens of China who are working for democracy and reform and human rights. Today, we mark the 10th anniversary of the persecution of the Falun Gong, while just last month we marked another anniversary: the 20th anniversary of Tianamen Square. At the time the CCP unleashed their assault on unarmed demonstrators, mostly students. Fang Zheng, a young man inspiring to represent China in the Olympics, lost both his legs that day as they were crushed by a tank. He asks, “What kind of government would tell people in tanks to run over their own citizens?” The answer is the same government that is responsible for the persecution of the Falun Gong. It is not too late to stop this carnage if we stand together with the citizens of China whether Falun Gong practitioners, democracy advocates, trade union activists, journalists, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, and reformers. We cannot allow the CCP to crush the hope and potential for a bright, prosperous, and peaceful future for the Chinese people. Thousands of Chinese citizens have recognized this and put their own lives on the line by becoming signatories of Charter 08, a most historic document that would take China on a new path towards reform and democracy. One of the signatories of that document is Gao Zhisheng, who was arrested but no one knows where he is. He is one of my personal heroes because he is a fellow Christian who dedicates his life to speaking out against injustice and helping those in need. He is a hero to the Falun Gong as well, because he has spoken out for them and called for the CCP to stop their persecution. He loves China and only wants for his homeland prosperity and peace which can only come when human rights are respected, he is released from prison and the persecution against Falun Gong ends. Thank you and God bless you for being here and let us work together for that day. |
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