The councillor expressed concerns that Falun Dafa practitioners have been denied their rights and liberties and subjected to illegal organ harvesting.
A city council in Sydney’s multicultural western suburbs recently declined to support a motion recognizing World Falun Dafa Day. The motion, presented by Cumberland City Councillors Paul Garrard, Steve Christou, and Helen Hughes, aimed to acknowledge the spread of the popular meditation practice that has helped millions of people.
Garrard and Christou highlighted the ongoing persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners in China, including illegal detention, torture, and organ harvesting. They emphasized that members of the community have been kidnapped and unlawfully imprisoned.
Despite their efforts, the motion was ultimately rejected by the majority Labor council chamber, much to Garrard’s disappointment. He noted that the council’s decision seemed to contradict their promotion of diversity.
Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong, gained popularity in the 1990s for its health benefits but faced persecution from the Chinese Communist Party in 1999. This campaign included propaganda efforts to defame the practice and pressure on overseas entities to align with the CCP’s stance.
Overseas practitioners, including those in Australia, continue to face pressure from the CCP through various means, such as surveillance and attacks by CCP supporters. However, support for Falun Gong adherents has been growing globally, with entities like the EU and the U.S. State Department condemning the persecution and calling for investigations into human rights abuses.
The article also touches on the legal battle between the Falun Dafa Association and the ABC over a documentary that the association claims misrepresented their beliefs. International legal experts have acknowledged crimes against humanity targeting Falun Gong in China, along with propaganda efforts to vilify and dehumanize practitioners.
Victorian MP David Limbrick has raised concerns about Australian taxpayer money being used to produce content that aids in religious persecution by the CCP. After the documentary was broadcast, it was translated and shared on a CCP-backed website spreading misinformation about the practice.
Overall, the article highlights the challenges faced by Falun Dafa practitioners and the growing international support for their cause amid ongoing persecution. Please rewrite the following sentence to make it clearer: “The conference was attended by a plethora of industry professionals.”
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