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Thursday, May 17, 2007

Court decision won't force Falun Gong away from Vancouver Chinese consulate

Pressure from the Chinese Consulate is not the only thing that keeps Sam Sullivan ticking these days. Keep an eye on the City of Vancouver as it endeavours to maintain a happy face ahead of the 2010 Olympics at the expense of the poor and dissident voices. Oh and they even have their own law enforcer now. Sounds familiar? Indeed Vancouver and China have much more in common than one could ever imagine. It is clear that Mayor Sullivan will do anything to get the Falun Gong to move their 'blue wall and hut' before the Games. Here's a letter that was published in the Sun recently, from Sue Zhang, Falun Gong spokesperson for the Vancouver chapter.

Canada.com VANCOUVER (CP) Thursday, May 17, 2007 - Falun Gong practitioners say despite a recent decision they'll still get a day in court over their ongoing protests outside the Chinese consulate in Vancouver.

The quasi-religious sect and the city are locked in a fight over the bright blue protest hut and plywood billboards the group has refused to leave for the last five years.

The city is attempting to evict it by enforcing a bylaw forbidding structures on private property without a permit.

But the group says its freedom of speech is being violated and only a full trial can prove that the law is being applied selectively.

Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan has said the group is free to protest but not build on city land.

The B.C. Court of Appeal has refused to overrule a lower court's decision not to grant the group a trial but at a news conference today a Falun Gong lawyer is expected to outline why it still thinks it has a case.

Followers of Falun Gong, which combines tai -chi like movements and meditative practice, say the Chinese government has killed and tortured untold numbers of practioners since the movement was banned there in 1999.

The Chinese government denies the allegations.

© The Canadian Press 2007

2 comments:

j said...

great blog. i bookmarked it.

my blog no-bs-news.blogspot.com
also covers the evils of china

are you involved with the
local falun gong network
that put up the structures?

if so, i want in
i think the Vancouver area resistance movement should
have more protest rallies
at the chinese embassy
we should put something big together and try for big coverage

MaKina said...

Hey J. I agree big coverage would be nice. Why don't you give the local spokesperson a call at 604-409-8612. BTW your blog is pretty awsome too!