"The World is Watching China"
Councillor Jamie Parker

An eyewitness to the brutal persecution of Falun Dafa--the Deputy Mayor of Leichhardt--speaks publicly for the first time and provides details about the shocking reality of the peaceful group's bloody encounters at Tiananmen Square.

On a holiday to China last year, Councillor Parker, his family and girlfriend witnessed a scene never to be forgotten -- police and soldiers viciously attacking women and the elderly for expressing their belief in Falun Dafa, otherwise known as Falun Gong. The authorities labelled the peaceful protestors as alleged thieves; however bystanders subtly told Parker that they were Falun Dafa practitioners.

The scene in Tiananmen Square disillusioned Councillor Parker. He repeatedly mentioned how shocking watching the ordeal was. "It really raised the issue of human rights and justice in China." Throughout the whole day there were violent arrests which mainly consisted of people raising yellow flags or throwing leaflets in the air. "The reaction from the authorities was very severe. We were very shocked and it sickened us."

Statement made by Councillor Parker:

"There is a wide range of support for those people who practice Falun gong, to ensure they can practice without suppression. And it is also important for us to make sure we contact the Australian government and the Australian officials.

...It's important that our government makes sure the Chinese government will not get away with the human rights abuses against the Falun gong practitioners. As Australian citizens and active people in our community, we can make a difference. We can make sure the Australian government responds to these challenges, responds to the violation of human rights so close to us, and I encourage everybody to make that effort.

Because one point I would like to make is that there are so many issues in the community which affect people, but the issue of human rights in particular and the issues of freedoms of expression, assembly, and association are critical to any civilized society.

As Australians, as members of the global community, we should be making sure we support our brothers and sisters around the world, no matter what country they are in.

...The levels of abuse and violence that are heaped upon those practitioners are absolutely unacceptable, and that is why as Australian citizens we need to act. Having experienced this directly and having been seriously affected, it is important for me as someone who is involved in politics here in Australia to continue to raise these issues. Among the political community in Australia, there is a great deal of support for what is going on here in Australia and internationally to ensure the rights of Falun gong practitioners are supported, and not violated by the Chinese government. This support exists throughout the community, business and government. I encourage people who are working to ensure that human rights and justice in China can be fulfilled. I encourage those people to keep on working in their campaign, because as we've seen in so many countries of the world, injustice and violent suppression cannot be sustained. I've heard the voice of the Chinese people themselves, and many of them are horrified by the types of abuses the authorities are inflicting on Falun gong practitioners. The voice of the Chinese people has to be heard. I think that voice is the voice of tolerance, is the voice of reason and the voice of respect for human rights and justice.

And I myself came across a situation where there was a Chinese official who was interfering and causing trouble at a peaceful protest taking place outside the consulate in Sydney. So it is very clear that the Chinese government is seriously concerned about Falun gong. I know that across Australia, members of state government, members of parliament and the leaders of the communities have all expressed their concern about the way the Chinese government is acting in China, and also about how we deal with peaceful, legitimate protest here in Australia.

We have seen the disgraceful propaganda they have been putting out, and the propaganda cannot begin to address the real insolence that I have seen in person. I myself witnessed very brutal treatment of people in public. The obvious concern I raise is if this the type of brutality that is meted out against old women and others in public, what happens behind the scenes? What happens in prisons, what happens in hospitals? I have seen literature from Falun Dafa which describes these sorts of serious abuses of human rights in custody in China, and I have no doubt that they are correct. The type of brutality I and my family witnessed in Tiananmen Square in public leads me to believe there is obviously some very serious violations going on behind the scenes in Chinese prisons. So it is even more important after what I've seen that now is the time for us to act as Australians, as a people and as a government."

"Of course we hope that they succeed and we hope that the human rights are supported and that Falun Dafa can practice what they believe, and also other people in the community can be ensured their rights are protected. So from my point of view, the world is watching China now, and their treatment of Falun Dafa practitioners is particularly important given how the Chinese government has so viciously campaigned against them."