[Editor's note: Mr. McMahon is the lawyer who helped Falun Gong practitioners file a lawsuit against two ministries of the Chinese government and Central China TV.]

I wanted to welcome everybody from outside of the Washington, D.C. area to our great town. I live here. And it's been a distinct privilege to get to know the practitioners and I am truly honored to file a lawsuit for you.

You know, I would take my kids down here to visit the monuments. But what you have to keep in mind is that these are monuments, they are symbols, mere bricks and mortar of what our great country is all about. But the real heroes are people like you who dare to embrace American liberties. And for that, I can't thank you enough for being your attorney.

Now, there is a reason why we filed the lawsuit, although I have been called a crazy attorney. We discovered that there was a pattern going on in America. If you were Falun Gong, you were beaten up if you demonstrated in front of an embassy. Your car could be fire bombed. Your phones might be tapped. If you are having lunch at the Union Station at the Au Bon Pain, which is a local restaurant, when you get back to your office, guess what? Your luncheon conversation will be replayed back to you. If you were Falun Gong you will be threatened with murder.

There were so many things I could go into, ladies and gentlemen. But the reason we did file the lawsuit is: Why are these things happening in San Francisco, Los Angles, Chicago, Virginia, Washington, D.C.? I hope you get the picture. The PRC has launched a criminal enterprise in America and they are dedicated to your elimination.

Now I have told some lawyers about these incidents that have happened, cars being fire bombed, lives being threatened. And they would say to me, "Well, Martin, you know, if that stuff goes on in China everyday, what's the big deal?" And I would say, "You know something, Fred? That stuff is going on right here in America today." And there is one message that I'd like to get out to the tourists that are here or to anybody else that is listening, that perhaps is not familiar with the Falun Gong movement. This is not about the Falun Gong at one level, this is about a foreign government who has total contempt for these laws of our great nation and has the audacity to come over here and eradicate your movement. And one of the reasons we filed the lawsuit is to tell the Chinese government -- and this is the relief we seek and it's right over there in that building -- look, through your Ministries, you've stolen our great Constitution, and we want it back as Falun Gong practitioners.

I wanted to give you an instance of how this great international blacklist occurred. If you are a woman by the name of Judith Martin and live in New Jersey, and you are trying to go into China with twelve other people on a business trip, you know what will happen to you? Even if you have a business visa, your name will be looked up, and if it's in the computer, you won't get in. Now this just happened with the Iceland experience. And it's outrageous that a government can control such access even into another country. But the remarkable thing is, after I filed the lawsuit, a reporter calls me up and he says, Mr. McMahon, you know what, everybody over here knows about the blacklist. It's called Operation Golden Shield.

So, I wish at some point, our lawmakers will help you further. And I just wanted to say, if you have a chance, you should thank these great people who did this resolution. Having been in Washington for so many years, I am cynical. I admit to it. But seeing what these Congressmen and women have done after we had some meetings with them, they had the courage to create this resolution and then to get it passed. It's just nothing short of remarkable. I wanted to say that Resolution 188, the legal remedies that we have are difficult to pursue in this great court, where Watergate was, where a lot of people filed lawsuits, and somebody would condemn them as some sort of fringe element. But just keep in mind, Falun Gong practitioners, you have a great network of people; you have the resources to continue with this lawsuit; our law firm is dedicated to seeing it through. We would like nothing better, however, to have in one sense a settlement. And I am sure all of you know this. What would that be? That in the great country of China, all of the Falun Gong practitioners and their families that are in mental institutions and jails, are released, consistent with their own constitution! And the reason why we are suing the Chinese FBI, and the Chinese CIA, and CCTV, is again, what they've done is they have launched a criminal enterprise here in America, and you are the alleged and intended victims.

One last question for you. If anybody out there learns of some incident that happened to them solely because they are Falun Gong practitioners, we would sure like to know about that. I would just again reiterate, these things out here are just symbols, they mean nothing unless people like yourselves stand up and exercise your fundamental civil liberties. And I am so proud to be your attorney. Thank you very much.

Category: Rallies & Protests