China’s embassy in Ireland tried to block members of the Falun Gong spiritual organisation from participating in Galway city’s St Patrick’s Day parade this year, correspondence reveals.
In an unusual intervention, the personal assistant to the Chinese ambassador to Ireland strongly lobbied Galway City Council to exclude members of the group, also known as Falun Dafa, from participating in the parade on March 17th.
Members of the meditative movement – which claims tens of thousands of its practitioners have been persecuted in China – marched in the parade despite the efforts of Beijing’s representative in Ireland.
Correspondence released under Freedom of Information laws reveal the embassy of the People’s Republic of China at Ailesbury Road in Dublin expressed “serious concerns” regarding the participation of Falun Gong members in Galway’s parade.
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In an email sent to city hall on March 13th last, the embassy said it was approached by the “Chinese community in Galway” who had expressed “profound unease” at Falun Gong’s inclusion in the parade.
“They have noted that a public celebration intended to honour Irish culture and promote community unity is an inappropriate venue for the organisation that the Chinese government has officially proscribed as a cult due to its documented detrimental impact on social order and public health,” the email said.
The embassy told the city council that Falun Gong had “created turmoil and seriously disturbed the social and public order in China”.
It said the Chinese government had outlawed the organisation “in light of its criminal activities” and banning Falun Gong “in accordance with the law conforms to the will of the [Chinese] people”.
“The presence of such a cult group directly undermines the traditional Irish culture of the St Patrick’s Day parade,” it added.
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A spokesperson for Irish Falun Dafa Association said it was “not surprised” by the intervention, and claimed China was “meddling in Irish society for some time”.
Falun Gong “is an entirely peaceful cultivation practice of mind, body and spirit”, the spokesperson said.
The group said China had clamped down on the practice of Falun Gong since 1999. This clampdown was “sadistic, bloody and brutal”, and it claimed Falun Gong practitioners in China were subjected to torture, forced labour camps, dark jails and human organ harvesting.
The group said it had been participating in St Patrick’s Day parades in Ireland for 15 years and thanked Galway City Council for allowing them to participate last March.
In its application for permission to march, the group said it would perform Falun Gong exercises during the parade, and claimed to represent “authentic, traditional Chinese culture”.
Founded by Li Hongzhi in 1992, it said Falun Gong was practised in more than 100 countries, including Ireland, where it has been “popular for over 27 years”.
[ How China uses soft power to exert influence in IrelandOpens in new window ]
The city council consulted with gardaí in Galway before permitting Falun Gong to participate in the parade.
A council official noted gardaí “have not raised any security issues” about the Falun Gong’s participation in the parade.
“Amnesty International has stated that the Falun Gong is just one of a number of groups that has been harassed and imprisoned for practising religion in China,” the official wrote, and he included a link to a BBC article.
Director of services Derek Pender replied to the embassy of China in Ireland thanking them for their correspondence and noting the concerns raised.
“I wish to confirm that the group has completed the required application process and has been approved in accordance with the parade’s established guidelines and procedures. Their participation will proceed on this basis,” Pender said.
The embassy of China in Ireland did not respond to requests for comment.
