After learning that Australia’s Foreign Minster, Mr Alexander Downer, had yet
again signed the two certificates banning all amplified sound and all banners
and anything else displaying messages at the Chinese Embassy in Canberra for the
40th month in a row, practitioners held an appeal in front of Brisbane’s DFAT
(Dept of Foreign Affairs and Trade) office on Friday, 24 June 2005. It was decided
to hold an anti-torture display and have banners and signs informing the public
about Mr Downer’s actions.
We had very little time to organise this event,
yet everything proceeded very smoothly. A permit was obtained from the police
only one hour after the permit section received the application. The event was
held from 11am to 2pm to take advantage of all the people that go out for lunch
in the business district. In spite of being held on a Friday, a number of practitioners
were able to attend, some coming for the entire three hours and some attending
during their lunch hours. Banners were also prepared the night before.
The
area in front of the building where DFAT’s office is was very spacious and we
were able to set up our torture display, poster boards and banners without interfering
with the pedestrian flow. Directly across the street was a train station, so many
people were on the street during this period of time.
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Anti-torture display | |
The response from the public was
very positive. Many people couldn’t believe such a brutal persecution of a peaceful
group could be happening in this day and age. People also couldn’t understand
why the Australian Government was kowtowing to a CCP regime in China that had
such a horrific human rights record and had caused the death of over 80 million
of its own people. When people learn the truth about Falun Gong and the persecution,
they immediately recognise what is good and what is evil.
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People
were also shocked by the death of Gao Rongrong and the inhumane torture she had
suffered simply because she practised Falun Gong. Many passersby signed petitions,
took literature about Falun Gong and the persecution and wished us well. We also
delivered a package of material to the DFAT office and explained why we were outside.
With
the stories of the recent Chinese defections in Australia being front page news
and covered almost nightly on TV, many more people are now aware of Falun Gong
and they are very upset by the Australian Government’s treatment of these defectors,
of the Chinese Government’s spying on and harassing Falun Gong practitioners in
Australia and of Mr Downer’s impeding our appeal in Canberra at the Chinese Embassy.
It is now readily apparent that the tide is shifting and many everyday people
are waking up to what is happening and speaking out against it.
Posting
date: 28/Jun/2005
Original article date: 26/Jun/2005
Category: Australian
News
