Flushing, New York City—On July 1, 2008, the Queens criminal court held the first hearing for criminals arrested for their involvement in a violent attack on Falun Gong practioners on May 20 in Flushing.
Defendant Liu Shao was charged with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct, and was let off with a conditional discharge and court fine. Liu pleaded guilty and paid the fine.
Falun Gong practitioners will begin civil proceedings against these assailants following this trial, offering the Flushing community a brief respite from the ordeal.
No Remorse
More than 20 Flushing residents attended the court trial. Mrs. Zhang, a Falun Gong practitioner and Flushing resident, believes that with this case, the assailants should be further accused of hate crimes. Zhang explained that these mobs and Falun Gong practitioners don't even know each other and have no personal grudges. In addition, when attacked, Falun Gong practitioners didn't fight back at all.
"Just before the trial, the criminals and their associates abused Falun Gong practitioners outside the corridors of the court. They also made threatening gestures [toward us]," Zhang said
"In fact, in the past month, almost every Flushing area Falun Gong practitioner has been abused and attacked. These mobs don't know these people. Why would they do this without hostility incited by the CCP? Thus, this is obviously a hate crime; they should be accused of such," continued Zhang.
Cursing Falun Gong in Court
Sui Zhijie, who was arrested for attacking police a few days ago, also appeared at the trial. According to a number of Falun Gong practitioners, he and Liu Shao cursed Falun Gong practitioners in court corridors. After entering the building, Sui sat near a group of Falun Gong practitioners and glared at them. One resident observed that Sui's eyes exhibited an intense hatred for the Falun Gong adherents.
Falun Gong practitioners explain that they have no hate for these assailants, just pity. They believe that their attackers have merely been fooled by CCP propaganda.
"In fact, the police have also been shocked by such hatred," commented one Flushing resident. "A police officer said that he now knows that Falun Gong practitioners are suffering such terrible attacks, and without police protection, they would be killed."
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