News Release: Canadian Capital withstands pressure from Chinese Embassy, Unanimously votes for by-law exemption for Falun Gong

  • From: Media-Update <media-update@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: Media-Update <dafa-news-ottawa@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Sat, 19 Jan 2002 07:06:04 -0500

News Release    For Immediate Release: January 18, 2002

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Canadian Capital withstands pressure from Chinese Embassy, Unanimously votes 
for by-law exemption for Falun Gong
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OTTAWA, January 18, 2002 - At the City of Ottawa Transportation and Transit 
Committee (TTC) meeting on January 16, a motion allowing a by-law exemption 
for Falun Gong practitioners was passed unanimously, allowing practitioners to 
hang large-sized banners on the fence across the street from the Chinese 
Embassy.

"Since last May, Falun Gong practitioners have been holding daily vigils in 
front of the Chinese Embassy calling for an end to the persecution in China," 
said Grace Wollensak. "However, irritated by this exposure of the brutality 
under the Chinese regime, the Chinese Embassy has been putting tremendous 
pressure on the city of Ottawa to curb the practitioners' vigil activities."

Albert Tang, claiming to represent the "Federation of Ottawa-Carleton Chinese 
Community," requested at the meeting that the demonstrators be removed from 
the site because they embarrassed visitors to the embassy by handing out 
flyers to them.

However, the councillors saw the issue differently.  "I personally pass the 
spot of the demonstration very frequently. The situation I always see has been 
one of good order all the time. I think the group is the model of that good 
order," said Councillor Jacques Legendre.

"The notion that we should try to prevent a group from expressing themselves 
because they are irritating a foreign government is really not something that 
we can contemplate or that we can support", said Councillor Alex Munter.

The TTC councillors expressed the common sentiment that this issue is about 
freedom of expression, a principle which must be upheld in Canada. The 
exemption was passed unanimously at the committee meeting.

However, the debate continued outside. Councillor Munter responded to Tang's 
challenge, "For you sir, to come to a city committee and tell us to limit 
Falun Gong practitioners' freedom of expression and tell us to remove those 
people, that is wrong, that is un-Canadian and that is the violation of the 
principle of freedom of expression!".

Lucy Zhou, a Falun Gong practitioner, said, "It is a well-known fact within 
the Chinese community that there are a few individuals who are acting under 
the name of the 'Federation of Ottawa-Carleton Chinese Community' to give 
voice to the Chinese Embassy here in Canada.  They have been widely sending 
out defamation materials attacking Falun Gong and writing to officials at all 
levels of Canadian government urging them to stop their support of Falun 
Gong."

"We are very happy and proud that our elected officials have chosen to uphold 
true Canadian values and to preserve rights that Falun Gong practitioners are 
being denied in China," said Zhou.

For more information, please contact:
Alex Munter     -  (613) 580-2474 (office),     (613) 592-6993 (home)
Lucy Zhou       -  (613) 862-7494 (cell),       ( 613) 599-7494 

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For background on the spiritual practice and the crisis in China, please visit 
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