According to separate reports by pro-Chinese regime newspapers China Press (Qiao Bao) and Ming Daily (Ming Pao), on June 28 New York State assemblywoman Ellen Young granted an audience to several members of the pro-communist mobs who have allegedly assisted the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in its assault against Falun Gong practitioners in Flushing, New York.
Young, while listening to their "complaints" during the meeting, also said that she would be working with New York council member John Liu to restrict the New York Police Department's (NYPD) 109th Precinct from issuing permits that allow Falun Gong practitioners to hold rallies in the downtown Flushing area.
One political commentator believes the U.S. government should investigate these two pro-CCP media outlets as well as these two U.S. elected officials for allegedly helping the Chinese communist regime to incite individuals to assault Falun Gong adherents.
The actions of these alleged CCP accomplices, including Sui Zhijie, who was arrested for assaulting a police officer, and Qiu Wei, who allegedly attacked Falun Gong practitioners with a weapon, have been reported by The Epoch Times.
China Press's reports, on the contrary, have painted these two as unfortunate victims of injustice.
According to China Press, Councilman Liu reportedly promised these thugs that he would fight against Falun Gong practitioners for the so-called rights of "residential freedom and safety."
Young, also according to China Press, made claims that the rallies held by Falun Gong to expose the crimes of the CCP in both Flushing and mainland China supposedly "disturbed her life to the point of giving her a breakdown."
According to a magazine editor, the views of Liu and Young show a shaky grasp of right and wrong.
Ming Daily and China Press Spread Propaganda for the Communist Regime
In a report by China Press, the CCP's hired thugs were described as "victims who were tracked, threatened, abused, and photographed by Falun Gong adherents." Furthermore, Ming Daily described the exposure of their actions by The Epoch Times as "spreading irresponsible material."
Epoch Times Editor-in-Chief Guo Jun said that photos were mostly taken when the CCP thugs were assaulting Falun Gong practitioners in the streets of Flushing. Some were provided by local residents.
Ming Daily claimed a man named Sun Jun complained that he suffered mental stress because he was supposedly on the front page of The Epoch Times on June 21 in a story that claimed he planned to bomb NYC Subway. The accusation was completely false. No such story was printed in The Epoch Times.
Lead Organizer Arrested for Attacking Falun Gong Practitioner With Weapon
Qiu Wei allegedly organized some activities to slander Falun Gong in Flushing and Chinatown, and attempted to disrupt Falun Gong rallies. On June 8, he reportedly incited approximately 20 people to assault five elderly Falun Gong practitioners. The practitioners had their hair pulled and were hit in the head by watermelons.
On June 15, Qiu, along with four accomplices, allegedly attacked Falun Gong practitioner John Yu with a metal steering wheel lock in Brooklyn. One of Yu's hands was wounded in the attack. Qiu was arrested for this attack on the afternoon of June 21 in Flushing.
Qiu is facing seven charges, including two felony charges of 2nd-degree assault and 3rd-degree criminal mischief. One of his distant relatives testified before the trial that Qiu once gave her a death threat, warning her not to disclose his crimes. The first hearing was held on the Qiu Wei case June 26, but China Press did not say a word about the trial.
Sui Zhijie Arrested for Attacking a Police Officer
China Press claimed in their article that it had only been a week since 23-year-old Sui Zhijie returned home from his university when he was out buying lunch. The article claimed that when he found many people handing out newspapers, he stopped to casually observe the scene for a while when he was photographed by The Epoch Times. According to China Press, his picture was later erroneously posted on the front page, labeled as a CCP spy.
The true situation was that Sui was arrested in Flushing on June 22 after elbowing police officers and blocking them from dispersing a crowd gathered around a woman distributing anti-Falun Gong materials. China Press neglected to mention this key fact.
The incident took place on Main Street in Flushing around 3:30 p.m. A crowd gathered around an unidentified person handing out flyers after a loud verbal exchange ensued.
When police moved to disperse the crowd, Sui blocked the police, shouting, "You can't touch me, you can't touch me!" Sui then used his elbow to hit a police officer. He was arrested at the scene.
Who is Harassing the Neighborhood?
In the reports in both China Press and Ming Daily, both the Chinese Communist regime and Councilman Liu claimed that the Falun Gong protests, parades, and appeals were "bothering the citizens" and "disturbing the peace of the neighborhood."
Hu Ping is the chief editor of Beijing Spring, a well known Chinese dissident magazine published in Flushing whose advisory board includes such highly regarded academics as Perry Link and Andrew Nathan.
Hu pointed out that Falun Gong's activities in New York over the past nine years have always followed the law and have not disturbed residents in any way.
According to Hu, the recent disturbances in the neighborhood were not caused by Falun Gong practitioners, but instead by the pro-CCP groups attempting to discriminate against Falun Gong. Hu says the practitioners are simply trying to maintain their rights.
Zhang Jielian is a guest columnist with the Chinese-language edition of The Epoch Times and an expert on relations with China. Zhang noted that those who were harassing the neighborhood are none other than CCP agents and accomplices. Furthermore, according to Zhang, the CCP stronghold inside the Flushing community network has forced residents to live each day in fear.
Ming Daily and China Press are CCP-Controlled Newspapers
Zhang said that the CCP is limiting the media's freedom and taking away the citizens rights to the news. He said the CCP is filling the citizens with propaganda and spreading lies overseas. According go Zhang, Ming Daily, China Press, and other media affiliated with the Chinese regime serve as the CCP's mouthpieces in the U.S. and have played an important role in twisting the facts.
According to the article "How China's Government Is Attempting to Control Chinese Media in America" published in the Jamestown Foundation's magazine China Brief, there are four major Chinese newspapers in the U.S.— World Journal, Sing Tao Daily, Ming Daily and China Press. Out of these four, three of them are directly controlled by the CCP. Although the other paper is controlled by Taiwanese ownership, it has also "begun bowing to pressure from the Beijing government."
According to China Brief, China Daily, established in January 1990 in New York, is directly controlled by the CCP. The paper represents the Chinese regime's voice and point of view.
Ming Daily is one of several of Hong Kong's major media outlets that, according to China Press, were bought out by the CCP in preparation for the return of Hong Kong's governance to the CCP from Britain in the early 1990's. This was accomplished through third party merchants who have close business ties with the Chinese regime.
Zhang states that while the CCP has been brutally attacking and defaming Falun Gong, these two media outlets have assisted the CCP by spreading propaganda and disinformation to the general public, thereby extending the terror in mainland China overseas. Zhang also points out that such disinformation also aims at influencing U.S. officials. According to Zhang, these acts stray far from the international values of human rights and freedom of belief.
The U.S. Should Investigate Ellen Young and John Liu
In one report, Ellen Young declared that she had been a victim of "abuse of freedom of speech" and that she nearly had a "mental breakdown" as a result. John Liu was quoted as saying that "the media has freedom of speech but should not insult, twist facts, or harass the subject."
Hu Ping said that the views of the New York City Councilman and New York State Assemblywoman are extremely inappropriate and show that they do not have a good grasp of right or wrong or good versus evil.
Hu said that in China, people who uphold their beliefs are being persecuted and the CCP is now extending such persecution to the U.S. As elected officials of a democratic nation, Young and Liu should stand on the side of justice.
Ye Ning, an attorney in Washington D.C. and New York City, also pointed out that Young is the one abusing freedom of speech.
Ye asked, "Were Falun Gong practitioners the ones who broke into private residential property, robbed, stole or committed crimes? Falun Gong practitioners did not misuse freedom of speech or hurt other people. On the contrary, Falun Gong practitioners are the victims and are the ones whose freedoms of speech have been revoked."
Hu said, "One cannot, just because he or she is a council member, distort facts on issues of good versus evil."
China's Interim Government President and political commentator Wu Fan said, "In all these years, one has never heard that Falun Gong practitioners have ever affected Ellen Young's life. Now that the CCP is attacking Falun Gong, she jumps out and claims she is a victim.
"Are the ruthless thugs who attack Falun Gong the ones who affected your life or is it in fact Falun Gong practitioners? Isn't it questionable that Young cannot decipher such simple facts?"
Zhang said that "while the CCP is extending its terror and secret agents on U.S. soil to attack Falun Gong practitioners, China Press and Ming Daily and the two officials did not uphold justice but instead assisted the CCP in its crimes."
Zhang continued, "it is inconceivable how elected officials in a democratic nation can protect the interests of the CCP. What is their relationship with the CCP? The United States should conduct an investigation against Ellen Young and John Liu and against China Press and Ming Daily."
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