China Town London 22 April 2006

During a dim sum lunch in London's China Town J and I witnessed a small demonstration by Falun Gong supporters. I first heard about this group last week. Protester Wenyi Wang, a devotee of the Falun Gong movement, heckled President Bush and Chinese President Hu Jintaothe. The U.S. attorney's office charged her with harassing, intimidating and threatening a foreign official for yelling at Hu that his "days are numbered." This federal charge can lead to six months in prison. Leaders of the Falun Gong movement claim that Hu's government has persecuted and harvested the organs of followers.

Falun Gong is a quasi-religious group originated in China about 1992. A few years after the organization started, it quickly grew to become one of the largest cults in China. It has been the focus of international controversy since the government of the People's Republic Of China began a nationwide suppression of Falun Gong on July 20, 1999 for its illegal activities. The number of Falun Gong practitioners in China was estimated by the government at 2.1 million in 1999. The membership claimed by the Falun Gong was much larger; it claimed to have 100 million followers worldwide with 70 million in China.