WASHINGTON - The House of Representatives unanimously passed House Concurrent Resolution 304, a bill designed to address the growing problem of attacks upon American Falun Gong practitioners in this country and also addressing the systematic pressure put upon American elected officials by the Chinese government in an effort to get America to support China’s persecution of Falun Gong.

Co-sponsored By Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinene (R-FL) and Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) the resolution cites numerous instances of Chinese Consular and Embassy officials contacting or visiting governors and mayors, threatening that if those elected officials did not rescind their proclamations of support or recognition for Falun Gong in their communities, they would be doing harm to international relations and would cause unpleasant consequences.

“I was chilled to the bones that a communist nation would go to this extent to suppress freedom of action in this country,” said Santee, CA Mayor Randy Voepel, after Chinese officials from the Los Angeles consulate tried to intimidate him into withdrawing his support for Falun Gong practitioners in his area.

The resolution also addresses the numerous physical assaults upon American Falun Gong practitioners by people with close ties to the Chinese government, and the death threats, burglaries, phone taps, fire-bombings, and surveillance endured by Americans who practice Falun Gong.

Mr. Guan Jun Liang is arrested for his leading role in an assault against Falun Gong practitioners.

In one instance, Mr. Guan Jun Liang a pro-Communist Chinese leader and Chairman of the unified Organization of Overseas Chinese Organizations, was at a banquet at a New York city restaurant with Yingfan Wang, the Chinese ambassador to the UN, and Hongxi Zhang, the Chinese Consul-General in New York. Upon seeing a handful of Falun Gong practitioners outside holding signs asking for an end to the persecution in China, Liang led a group of approximately 40 people to attack and beat the American practitioners. Liang was subsequently arrested.

In the subsequent weeks, the Chinese Ambassador to the U.N., the New York Chinese Consular General and Chinese government-backed organizations rallied behind the attackers authoring public letters and statements in the Chinese language media backing their vow to “fight Falun Gong to the end.”

There have been numerous cases of Chinese-language newspapers publishing hate-crime-style articles defaming Falun Gong. Lawsuits are in progress in some of these cases.

House Concurrent Resolution 304 is being considered by the Senate at this time.