Nearly 100 Falun Gong followers and supporters lined the street in front of Vancouver City Hall on Wednesday to urge city council not to impose restrictions on shelters in front of the Chinese consulate.
The mostly Chinese protesters acted out scenes of China police beating Falun Gong practitioners handcuffed to a pole and China surgeons removing organs from convicted group members for transplants. They also told stories of persecution in China.
Falun Dafa Association spokesperson Sue Zhang said any move by council to restrict protest shelters would infringe on the Charter of Rights, as interpreted by the B.C. Supreme Court. She said the shelters are necessary for protesters to keep up their 24-7 vigil outside the consulate on Granville Street, and blasted city officials for consulting with the Chinese consulate on its new protest bylaw.
“It would be immoral and unethical if our government officials stood on the side of the perpetrators, and the pressure from these perpetrators to help them cover up their crimes against humanity, and stifle the voice of victims by using a so-called traffic bylaw,” said Zhang.
City council is set to look at a revised version of the bylaw next Tuesday.
More at 24 Hours
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