Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.)
A Volunteer Human Rights Coalition – Choose Love, Not Hate – Love Wins
Congo rape crisis ‘increasing’
— Daily Telegraph: “As many as 14 women are raped every day in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, almost half of them in broad daylight and more than half in their own homes, according to a study published on Thursday.”
On April 11, 2010, per our previous report, volunteers in Washington DC held a “March for Remembrance” to commemorate Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah). The event was led by event representative Ted Pearce, who sought to have such a march with Christians, Jews, and others in solidarity together to show united remembrance of the Holocaust.
Ted Pearce has led similar marches in Germany and in Texas. He stated that “if only Jewish people remember the Holocaust, then I fear that in some ways the Holocaust has already been forgotten by some,” which is why he organized this latest “March for Remembrance” in Washington DC.
TOS Ministries, based in Germany, has led such events in the past. TOS Ministries-Germany Pastor Jobst Bittner is the founder of “The March for Life,” and spoke at the Washington DC event in German with an English translator about confronting and challenging anti-Semitism in Germany. TOS Ministries’ Pastor Bittner spoke about forming a church with a mission to confront and change attitudes on anti-Semitism in Tubingen, Germany, which had a past in the Nazi regime. Pastor Bittner spoke about the efforts to combat anti-Semitism and to speak out about the Holocaust in Germany, including holding public Hanukkah services and holding marches in Germany to remember the Holocaust, like the march that was now being held in Washington DC on April 11, 2010.
Other speakers at the March for Remembrance included Avi Mizrachi (Foundation for Holocaust Education Projects), Paul Argiewicz (Holocaust survivor, liberated from Buchenwald, April 11, 1945), Peter Loth (born in Stuttot concentration camp), and David Goldkorn (survived death march from Dachau).
Holocaust survivor Paul Argiewicz spoke of his time in Nazi concentration camps and urged the world never to forget the Holocaust. Paul Argiewicz was a Polish Jewish teenager who was forced to leave his home, schooling, and family due to Nazi anti-Semitism and spent five years in Nazi forced labor camps from Auschwitz to Buchenwald as Number 176520.
The message was reinforced by all attendees that the Holocaust would be remembered, and that it would be each of the attendee’s responsibility, whatever their religion, to ensure that the world will Never Forget, so that we can all be responsible for ensuring “Never Again.” Organizer Ted Pearce stated that that the event would be continued as an annual tradition on Yom HaShoah in Washington DC. After the speakers, there was a lighting of 6 candles in memory of the 6 million who were killed in the Holocaust. At a separate event that night, Immanuel’s church in Silver Spring, Maryland held a “Concert of Remembrance.”
Other Photographs of Event:
Multiple media sources have reported on the attack on the Bilal Ibn Rabah mosque in the village of Huwwara and the Israeli military state that is investigating the attack and will bring the perpetrators to justice.
Ma’an News reports:
— “After the Bilal Ibn Rabah mosque in the village of Huwwara, south of Nablus, was vandalized by anonymous suspects late Wednesday night, the Israeli military expressed condemnation and vowed to bring those responsible to justice.”
— “The army said in a statement that the Star of David symbol and the caption ‘Muhammad’ in Hebrew were among the graffiti painted on the wall of the mosque. In addition, two vehicles owned by Palestinians were reportedly set on fire in the village.”
— “‘The Commander of the IDF Judea and Samaria division, Brig. Gen. Nitzan Alon ordered an immediate investigation into the incident, condemned the acts and said that those responsible should be brought to justice,’ the statement noted.”
— “‘The IDF conveyed a message to the Palestinians through the Civil Administration to reassure them that the IDF takes the matter of harming or vandalizing of holy sites very seriously. It should be noted that the Civil Administration erased the graffiti this morning.'”
Jerusalem Post reports:
— W. Bank mosque vandalized, cars torched
— Jerusalem Post states that: “On another apparent act of settler violence as part of their ‘price-tag’ campaign, a West Bank mosque was vandalized overnight Tuesday.”
— “The IDF said that graffiti, including a Star of David and the name Mohammad, was sprayed on the Bilal Ibn Rabah mosque in Hawara, south of Nablus, while two vehicles were torched in the village.”
— “‘Price-tag’ is a term used by settlers either to retaliate against government decisions which curb settlement activity or in response to Palestinian attacks.”
— “Brig.-Gen. Nitzan Alon, commander of the Judea and Samaria Division, ordered an immediate investigation, saying in a statement that the vandalism was ‘unacceptable’ and that the perpetrators must be brought to justice.”
— “The army passed on messages via the Civil Administration to reassure the Palestinians that the military viewed damage to holy places very severely.”
Ethiopian Review and Reuters reports:
— “Palestinians accuse Jewish settlers of mosque attack”
— “The Israeli authorities have launched investigations into at least two other attacks on Muslim sites in the Nablus area since December. They could not immediately say whether either probe had resulted in charges being brought against suspects.”
— “Palestinians believe Jewish settlers were behind both the December arson attack on a mosque in the village of Yasuf and acts of vandalism in a cemetery in the village of Awarta in January.”
— “The Israeli police arrested one teenager from a Jewish settlement in connection with the Yasuf mosque attack. He was questioned and released without charge.”
========================================
Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) supports our unqualified, universal human rights for all people.
We urge all to Choose Love, Not Hate. Love Wins.
Press Release from North Korea Freedom Coalition
North Korea Freedom Week to Be Held in Seoul April 25-May 1
— see also Human Rights Group Launches “North Korea: 50,000 for 50,000” Campaign
(Apr 14 2010) Seoul…North Korea Freedom Week will kick off on April 25 as a week to promote the freedom, human rights, and dignity of the North Korean people. The event, which has been organized by the North Korea Freedom Coalition annually since 2004 in Washington, D.C., will be held for the first time in Seoul, South Korea. North Korean defectors and South Korean leaders and activists are organizing exhibits, a major rally, seminars, press conferences, prayer vigils and other events all focused on highlighting the misery the Kim Jong-il regime has inflicted on the people of North Korea, as well as citizens of South Korea, Japan and other countries.
NKFW 2010 will begin with a prayer service hosted by the North Korean defector churches and the opening of the North Korea Genocide Exhibit and will conclude with a balloon launch from the DMZ which will include radios, money, and a special message about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The message will point out that the same year the United Nations adopted this declaration in 1948 was the same year that Kim Il Sung came to power to ensure that North Koreans were denied every single one of these universally accepted rights.
“With the increasing ability for North Koreans to learn about the outside world, it is fitting that North Korea Freedom Week will be held in South Korea for the first time,” said Kim Seung Min of Free North Korea Radio. “North Koreans are increasingly finding out that their misery is a direct result of the Kim Jong-il regime, not South Korea and America as we were brainwashed from birth to believe.”
Special events during the week will focus on the North Korean gulag, the trafficking of North Korean women, the abduction by the regime of South Korean and Japanese citizens, and other topics.
Dr. Hyunuk Kim, who is chairing the Rally for North Korea Freedom Week, added, “Our songs and prayers for freedom and human rights in North Korea from Seoul will be heard around the world and in North Korea, leading to a dramatic change in North Korean society.” Describing North Korea as the world’s coldest land and the world’s largest gulag, Dr. Kim said, “We must keep moving forward and strong until we meet the day when the spring sunshine finally finds itself in North Korea.”
Warning that it was a crime to remain apathetic in the face of one of the world’s worst human rights violations in history, Professor Yon Hee Lee, who is organizing the NKFW prayer vigil, warned, “We cannot remain silent as this tragedy continues or we will face God’s judgment.”
“Our hope is that North Korea Freedom Week will empower the 17,000 strong North Korean defectors in South Korea, awaken the consciousness of the world that the human rights conditions in North Korea must be addressed, and inform all who are suffering north of the DMZ that we will work together until the day their freedom, human rights and dignity are realized,” said Seoul Peace Prize Laureate, Suzanne Scholte, who is Co-Chairing NKFW with Professor Hwang Jang-yop.
“We are very proud that so many defectors, who have been part of the North Korea Freedom Week delegations each year, are now taking the lead in sponsoring events throughout the week, and we are deeply grateful to the South Korean NGOs and leaders who are also organizing events,” she added.
Simultaneously with events being held in Seoul, Open Doors-USA, will be organizing prayer events for North Korea throughout the USA.
A complete list of events follows below.
NORTH KOREA FREEDOM WEEK 2010 SEOUL, KOREA
Sunday, April 25 – Saturday, May 1
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
[Week-long event] Sunday, April 24th to Saturday, May 1st
ALL DAY EVENT – North Korea Human Rights Exhibit
Every Day — 10 AM – 5 PM North Korea “Ah, the Warm Country in the South!” (The North Korea Genocide Exhibit)
Host: North Korea Genocide Exhibit, Moon Gook Han (sgf2002@hanmail.net)
Location: Seoul Gallery, Seoul Press Center 1st Floor
Transportation: Subway – Line 1 or 2, City Hall Station Exit 4; Line 5, Gwanghwamun Station Exit 5
[Week-long event] Sunday, April 25th to Saturday, May 1st
ALL DAY EVENT – North Korea Human Rights Photo Exhibit
Host: NKHR Young Adult’s Coalition, Han Nam Soo/Strategy Center Youth Group, Choi Young Jin
Location: Various colleges/universities in Seoul
[Throughout the week during NKFW2010]
Sunday, April 25th
2PM – 4PM Prayer Service led by North Korean Defector churches
Hosts: North Korean Church Coalition, Pastor Kang Cheol Ho of Saetu Church (kangch214@hanmail.net); Pastor Lim Chang Ho of Jangdaehyun Church (limchangho@gmail.com); New Pyongyang Full Gospel Church
Location: Saeteo Church, Shinjung-Dong 337 Mokdong 2Cha Woosung APT B-sangga 4th Floor
Transportation: Subway – Line 5, Mok Dong Station Exit 5; Line 2, Yangcheon-Gu Office Station and then Bus – no. 6617 Last Stop
3 PM – Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for North Korea Human Rights Exhibit
“Ah, the Warm Country in the South!” (The North Korea Genocide Exhibit)
Host: North Korea Geneocide Exhibit, Moon Gook Han
Location: Seoul Gallery, Seoul Press Center 1st Floor
Transportation: Subway – Line 1 or 2, City Hall Station Exit 4; Line 5, Gwanghwamun Station Exit 5
Monday, April 26th
10AM – NK Gulag Inmate List Press Release & Witness Testimony
Host: NK Gulag, Kim Tae Jin, Jung Gwang Il, Jee Hae Lee (jhlee.nkgulag@gmail.com)
Location: Seoul Press Center, 19th Floor
Transportation: Subway – Line 1 or 2, City Hall Station Exit 4; Line 5, Gwanghwamun Station
2PM – North Korean Human Rights Digital Screening
Host: Abductee & Defectors Human Rights Coalition, ICCNK, Do Hee Yoon
Location: Seoul Metro Art Gallery, Hyehwa Metro Station
Transportation: Subway – Line 4, Hyehwa Station
Tuesday, April 27th
ALL DAY 10AM – POW/Abductee, Abduction-related Conference
Host: POW/Abductee Int’l Coalition, Lee Mi Il (milee625@hanmail.net), Professor Nishioka
Location: NK Democracy Committee Office, Gang-Nam-Gu Nonhyeon-Dong 216-2 Harim B/D 4TH Floor
Transportation: Subway – Line 7, Hakdong station
Time TBD – Open Invitation Forum:
“Kim Jong Il Regime’s Inhumane & Savage Rule: Elite North Korean Defectors’ Testimonies”
Host: ICCNK, NK Intellectuals Solidarity, Do Hee Yoon (dhy21c@hanmail.net), Kim Heung Gwang
Location: Seoul Press Center, 20th Floor
Transportation: Subway – Line 1 or 2, City Hall Station Exit 4; Line 5, Gwanghwamun Station Exit 5
5PM – Suzanne Scholte’s Special Lecture at Sejong University
Host: Sejong University (w3@sejong.ac.kr)
Location: Sejong University, Seoul
Transportation: Subway – Line 7, Children’s Grand Park Station
Wednesday, April 28th
1:30PM – North Korean Women Defectors Human Rights Seminar
Host: CNKWR Coalition for North Korean Women’s Rights, Kang Su Jin (frogreen79@naver.com)
Location: National Assembly Building, Yoido
Transportation: Subway – Line 9, National Assembly Station
2:30PM – National Rally for North Korea Freedom Week 2010
Host: International Forum for Foreign Policy & National Security, Dr. Kim Hyunwook (khubosco@hanmail.net)
Location: Seoul Station
Transportation: Subway – Lines 1 & 4, Seoul Station
Wednesday, April 28th to Saturday May 1st
2PM – Reading the Names of 8,400 Abductee & POWs (Pep-Rally & Name Reading)
Host: Abductee & Defectors Human Rights Coalition, ICCNK, Do Hee Yoon (dhy21c@hanmail.net), Bae Jae Hyun (mission2china@hanmail.net)
Location: Pagoda Park, Jongno-Gu
Transportation: Subway – Lines 1,3,5, Jongno-3-ga Station
Thursday, April 29th
7:30AM – North Korean Human Rights Forum (Guest Speaker: Suzanne)
Host: International Forum for Foreign Policy & National Security, Dr. Kim Hyunwook (khubosco@hanmail.net)
Location: Karak Hotel, 2nd Floor
Transportation: Subway – Lines 8, Karak Market Station
1PM – Debate for Human Rights of North Korean Defectors: How Much Has Improved?
Host: Democracy Strategy Center, Kang Cheol Hwan
Location: Community Chest of Korea, Jung-Gu
Transportation: Subway – Line 1 or 2, City Hall Station Exit 3, 12; Line 5, Gwanghwamun Station Exit 6
8PM – North Korean Human Rights Prayer Vigil
Host: International Forum for Foreign Policy & National Security, ICCNK (khubosco@hanmail.net)
Location: Balsandong Catholic Church
Transportation: Subway – Line 5, Ujangsan Station Exit 3
Friday, April 30th
10AM – Protest at the Embassy of China in Seoul
Host: NKFW2010 Planning Committee
Location: Chinese Embassy, 54, Hyoja-Dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Transportation: Subway – Line 3, Gyeonbokgung Station
1PM – North Korea Human Rights Act-related International Conference
Host: PSCORE People for Successful COrean REunification , Kim Young Il (youngilkim78@naver.com)
Location: Seoul Press Center, 20th Floor
Transportation: Subway – Line 1 or 2, City Hall Station Exit 4; Line 5, Gwanghwamun Station
4PM – Crossing Screening & Lecture of NK Defector
Host: Student Group of Yonsei University (yeahys@hanmail.net)
Location: Yonsei University
Transportation: Subway, Line 2, Sinchon Station
6:30PM – Meeting with Chairperson of National Human Rights Commission of Korea, Byung-Chul HYUN
Participators: Suzanne and other 6 people
8PM – North Korea Freedom Week 2010 Prayer Vigil
Host: Esther Prayer Movement for North Korea, Professor Lee Yong Hee (yhlee@kyungwon.ac.kr)
Location: Shinil Church, Joong-Gu Shin-Dang 4-Dong, 347-298, Seoul
Transportation: Subway – Line 3, 6, Yaksu Station; Line 5, Cheonggu Station
Saturday, May 1st
Afternoon [Exact Time TBD] – Balloon Launch into North Korea
Host: Fighters for Free North Korea FFNK, Park Sang Hak (berojapark@hanmail.net)
Location: Freedom Bridge, Imjingak, Paju City, Kyonggi Province
Transportation: Gyeongui Rail Line, Imjingak Station
FOR USA – OPEN DOORS NKFW RELATED EVENTS, VISIT http://members.opendoorsusa.org/images/content/pagebuilder/NK2010/
FOR NKFW UPDATES VISIT WWW.NKFREEDOM.ORG AND HTTP://CAFE.NAVER.COM/NKFW
As security barricades are erected around parts of Washington and streets near the DC Convention Center are closed down protesters for freedom in China continue to raise their voice to Communist China leader Hu Jintao, who is attending a nuclear summit there.
The Washington Post reports:
— In fact, the morning’s heaviest traffic might have been the well before dawn when the thousands of police, federal agents and uniformed military personnel arrived to man the barricades. Scores of them stared across 11th Street at a dozen supporters of Falun Gong, a spiritual sect banned in China, who stood behind barricades holding banners in Chinese.”
DC protests also reported by AFP:
— “More than 100 Tibetans chanted angry slogans in a square and a park on the edge of Washington’s Chinatown, both a stone’s throw from the Washington Convention Center where President Barack Obama is hosting the leaders from 46 nations, including China’s President Hu Jintao.”
Earlier AFP report also stated:
— “In two corners of the park, Falun Gong practitioners went through the gentle motions of their meditative art, which has gained a following of 100 million in China.”
— “‘The Chinese government persecutes anything that is outside its control. If they feel threatened, they go after you, and with more than 100 million people practicing Falun Gong, they’ve become paranoid and have been doing things to practitioners, like harvesting their organs when they are still alive,’ said Dr Wenyi Wang.”
— “‘The international community has to realize that everyone has a responsibility to stop the persecution of the Falun Gong by the Chinese,’ she said.”
— “‘But a lot of people, especially in the United States and Europe, only engage China economically and turn a blind eye to the human rights abuses,’ Wang said, adding that even the Chinese have an expression that says ‘what goes around, comes around.'”
— “Lisa Tao told AFP in heavily accented English that she had come to join the protesters because ‘thousands of Falun Gong have been tortured to death and we want to send a message to Hu Jintao to stop persecuting people.”
— “‘We don’t know if he will change but we have to keep up the pressure. So we keep protesting, wherever he goes,’ she said.”
FOX News also reports on
— Quiet Protests at Nuclear Security Summit
— “Spiritual group Falun Gong, outlawed in China, protests Chinese crackdowns on the group while outside the Nuclear Security Summit. ”
On Sunday, April 11, 2010, in Washington DC’s Freedom Plaza (named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’ s struggle for human freedom in America), an estimated 150 Chinese Americans and their supporters rallied to show their solidarity and support for those Chinese citizens who have left the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as a stand for freedom in the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
Activists held large banners in English and in Chinese languages with messages such as “Support 71 Million People Resigning from Chinese Communist Party,” “Nine Commentaries Motivated 71 Million Chines to Resign from the CCP (Chinese Communist Party,” “U.S. House Passes Resolution 605: Supports Falun Gong, Condemns Prosecution,” and “Help Stop the Persecution Against Falun Gong,” and other had smaller placards and signs with messages calling for freedom in the PRC.
The event coincided with the arrival of PRC leader Hu Jiantao to the United States of America for a nuclear security summit, beginning on April 12, 2010, which was also protested by China freedom activists, Falun Gong activists, and the Tibetan activists (see separate reports).
At the April 11, 2010 Freedom Plaza rally, China freedom supporters, Falun Gong practitioners, and other freedom activists joined in solidarity to applaud the efforts of the Taidung (“Quit the Party”) movement in leading the way for 71 million Chinese citizens who have voluntarily left the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) (see earlier report on the Taidung movement). China freedom activists sang songs on the Taidung movement, the oppression of the Falun Gong, and also provided traditional Chinese dance and drum routines at the Freedom Plaza rally.
Among those speaking at the Freedom Plaza rally was a former official of the CCP, who renounced the CCP upon coming to the United States of America. In addition to China freedom activists and Falun Gong supporters, freedom activists in Asia from Vietnam, Laos, Tibet, and Japan also spoke at the Freedom Plaza rally for freedom in China and supporting those who left the CCP. Multiple speakers remarked on the March 16, 2010 passing of House Resolution 605, which acknowledges the oppression and suffering of the Falun Gong in Communist China and advises the U.S. President to meet with Falun Gong leaders.
China freedom activist and leader of the China Support Network John Kusumi called upon U.S. President Barack Obama to make freedom in the PRC a priority as part of American foreign policy objectives on issues such trade, currency, and security. John Kusumi also urges the world community to take a stand on the Communist Laogai forced labor camps. John Kusumi also manages the China Support Network blog on China human rights and freedom issues.
Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.)‘s Jeffrey Imm recognized that the Freedom Plaza rally was taking place on Holocaust Remembrance Day, and that while much of the world was saying “never again” to the history of the Holocaust, “never again is now” in the PRC for those suffering in Communist Laogai forced labor camps, for men, women and children in China that seek to live in freedom, and for the Chinese people whose culture has been systematically been undermined and destroyed by the Chinese Communist Party. Jeffrey Imm noted that near the Freedom Plaza where the event was being held, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. worked on his historic speech “I Have a Dream.” Jeffrey Imm stated that “I have a dream that all of the Chinese people will someday be free… but we all have a responsibility to make that dream a reality.” Jeffrey Imm noted that those struggling for freedom in the PRC must use their passion to educate the world on the abuses against the Chinese people, with a single message to the world “Free China Now,” which Imm and the other participants chanted together “Free China Now!”
The event was covered by Asian media sources as well as the AFP News. An earlier AFP News report included photographs of the April 11, 2010 Freedom Plaza rally in their subsequent report on the Tibetan and Falun Gong protesters outside of the DC Convention Center where Hu Jinato was meeting with other world leaders. The updated AFP News report only showed photos of the April 12 protest.
See also:
April 12, 2010: DC: Tibet and Falun Gong Activists Protest Outside Nuclear Summit for China Freedom
Washington DC: Chinese Rally on April 11 to Support 71 Million Leaving Chinese Communist Party
Additional Photographs of April 11, 2010 Event:
====================================================
April 11, 2009 – Tuidang Rally, “Freedom Plaza,” Washington DC, USA – Jeffrey Imm
Good afternoon. My name is Jeffrey Imm, and our group’s name is Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.).
I appreciate all of you here today fighting for freedom.
We share your fight for freedom around the world.
Today is “Holocaust Remembrance Day.” Around the world, people say “Never Again.”
But “Never Again” is not just history. In the People’s Republic of China (PRC), “Never Again” is now.
On Holocaust Remembrance Day, people talk about concentration camps.
But that’s not just history, in the PRC that’s now.
On Holocaust Remembrance Day, people talk about cultures being destroyed.
But in the PRC, “Never Again” is now.
So when we stand in solidarity with those that remember the Holocaust today, we say to them that in the PRC, “Never Again” is now.
Compassion is passion. We share your passion for freedom.
This is “Freedom Plaza.” It was named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Near here, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. worked on a speech called “I Have a Dream.”
I have a dream – that the people in China will be free.
I have a dream – that the Tuidang – will be remembered as heroes.
I have a dream – that the 71 million who have left the Chinese Communist Party – are just the start of waves of freedom – that will Free China Now!
Share with me: Free China Now, Free China Now, Free China Now! (crowd chants in unison).
We have a dream, but we also have a responsibility.
President Obama, you have a responsibility, under House Resolution 605, to meet with the people fighting for freedom and the Falun Gong.
President Obama, you have a responsibility, to have a foreign policy where human rights are our first priority, not our last.
(Holding up poster of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)
These represent the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. They were signed by the Republic of China on December 10, 1948.
Less than a year later, the People’s Republic of China broke these (speaker tosses sign of Declaration of Human Rights to the ground, indicating the PRC’s rejection of them).
We must pick this Declaration of Universal Human Rights up. We fight for these human rights.
We fight for universal human rights for China.
With its original signature of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, China has signed a promissory note, a promise guaranteeing human rights.
We tell the PRC government today – Free China Now!
Chant with me: Free China Now, Free China Now, Free China Now! (crowd chants in unison).
====================================================
Resources:
Tuidang Web Site – Chinese Language
Tuidang Facebook Page – English Language
Quit CCP Web Site – English Language
Nine Commentaries on CCP – English Language
January 5, 2010 – NDTV: Former Chinese Official Renounces Communist Party Membership
January 4, 2010 – R.E.A.L. Report on Philadelphia Chinese Cultural Event and Quit CCP Movement
October 21, 2009: An underground challenge to China’s status quo – by Caylan Ford
July 20, 2009 – Tuidang campaign is most successful civil rights movement in China
Communist China: Newspaper Suspended for Showing Anti-Communist Party Slogan on Front Page
R.E.A.L. Postings on Totalitarianism
January 15, 2010 – R.E.A.L. Report on Shen Yun: Performing for Human Rights and Freedom in China
Human rights group OpenDoors has launched a message writing and public awareness campaign for those suffering under totalitarian oppression in Communist North Korea. The 50,000 refers to estimated 50,000 being held in North Korean Communist prison camps.
On the web page for the North Korea freedom campaign, they urge the public to “type a radio message below and broadcast hope into North Korea! Many North Koreans possess small transistor radios and through a program hosted by North Korea Free Radio your letter will be read in North Korea!”
They have also been spreading a public awareness campaign on Facebook. On Facebook, they describe their “North Korea: 50,000 for 50,000″ Campaign as”
“50,000 fans standing with”
“50,000 people in isolation in”
“NORTH KOREA.”
“OUR MISSION”
“To send a message to the people of North Korea that they are not alone.”
“THE PROBLEM”
“It is estimated that around 50,000 North Koreans are in prison camps.”
“OUR GOAL”
“To send 50,000 radio messages into North Korea telling the North Koreans that there are 50,000 people standing with them in their suffering.”
“YOUR PART”
“Become a fan.”
“Invite all the friends you can.”
“Send a short message to be translated into Korean and broadcasted over North Korean airwaves to tell 50,000 people they are not alone.”
OpenDoors is also encouraging individuals to host prayer vigils on North Korean freedom, and provides public information about people around the world who are hosting such vigils.
See also other R.E.A.L. reports on North Korea
See also other R.E.A.L. reports on totalitarianism
On April 11, Jews and Christians will together hold a “march of remembrance” in Washington DC to remember the Holocaust. The details about his march can be found at: marchofremembrance.com
National Mall, Washington D.C.
10:00 am – Pre-Event gathering on the Mall. Opportunity to visit the Holocaust Museum.
12:00 pm – Gather on the Mall (see map)
12:15 pm – Silent Prayer Walk to the U.S. Capitol Building
1:00 pm – Main Event (Testimonies and Prayer) on the West Lawn of U.S. Capitol
Immanuel’s Church, Silver Spring, MD
6:00 pm – Benefit Concert, Guest Musicians: Marty Goetz, Ted Pearce and Others. Proceeds to benefit: Helping Hands Collation – caring for Holocaust survivors. Directions: www.immanuels.org
A flier with more specifics is available online (Adobe Acrobat PDF format).
On April 11, 2010, supporters of human freedom will join together at Washington DC’s Freedom Plaza to recognize the growing movement of Chinese citizens in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) that have left the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), as their rejection of Communist totalitarianism. The movement known as the Tuidang and Quit CCP movement states that over 71 million Chinese people have chosen to leave the CCP since December 2004.
Chinese-Americans and their supporters will gather at the Washington DC Freedom Plaza, which is located on Pennsylvania Avenue NW, between 13th Street and 14th Streets NW. from 2 to 4 PM on Sunday, April 11 to recognize and show solidarity with the Chinese people that seek to embrace freedom.
The Tuidang movement or “Quit the Party” movement has seen an increasing wave of resignations from those that now publicly reject Communist totalitarianism in the PRC. The Tuidang movement calls upon the Chinese people to resign their memberships in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), so that Chinese people in the PRC will have an opportunity for political and human freedom. Resignations include the statement that “I declare that I solemnly denounce the Chinese Communist Party and its affiliated organizations.”
On its Facebook page, Tuidang states that “As of 06/04/10 [April 6, 2010] – 71,146,636 people have submitted statements withdrawing from the Chinese Communist Party or its affiliated organizations. Those who are current members of the CCP or its affiliated organizations are with these statements resigning their membership; former members use these statements to sever all association with these organizations. All are renouncing the CCP totally.” The “Quit CCP” web page states that this number of those resigning from the CCP continues to grow. The “Quit CCP” web site also lists the individual statements of some of those who have resigned from the CCP. In challenging Communist totalitarianism, the Epoch Times reports on “Nine Commentaries” that justify the reason for Chinese people leaving the CCP.
In February 2009, Epoch Times reported that 50 million Chinese people had resigned from the CCP. In January 2010, Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.)’s Jeffrey Imm met with Chinese freedom fighter Lisa Tao at a Chinese cultural event in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and she told him that she was daily calling up people in China and giving them the courage to resign from the CCP. As of January 2010, R.E.A.L. reported that “Quit CCP” stated that 66 million had resigned from the CCP.
On January 5, 2010, NDTV reported that a former CCP director, Zhang Kaichen, came to America and publicly resigned from the CCP, stating: “”Today I am reborn. I come across the ocean, and solemnly declare to the world that, from today on, I will make a clean break from the evil Chinese Communist Party.” NDTV reported that “Zhang Kaichen is the former Director of the Liaison Branch of the Propaganda Department of the Shenyang CCP Committee in China’s Liaoning Province.”
Now the Tuidang and “Quit CCP” web sites state that, as of April 2010, over 71 million had resigned from the CCP. Chinese Americans and their supporters seek to show their solidarity in America’s capital, Washington DC, on April 11, 2010, to let those continuing to struggle against Communist totalitarianism that they stand in unity and in support of their efforts.
Rally Logistics:
— Date: Sunday, April 11, 2010
— Time: 2 to 4 PM Eastern Daylight Savings Time
— Location: Freedom Plaza, Washington DC, 20004 – on Pennsylvania Avenue NW between 13th and 14th Streets NW
The Freedom Plaza in Washington DC is named in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., who worked on his “I Have a Dream” speech in the nearby Willard Hotel. In 1988, a time capsule containing a Bible, a robe, and other relics of King’s was planted at the site.
Directions:
— Map Showing Location of Freedom Plaza in Washington DC
— Street Level Photographic View of Freedom Plaza Area
— Washington DC Metro Subway Stop: Metro Center (Central Station – for Red, Blue, Orange Lines)
— Washington DC Metro Subway Planner Tool
Walking Directions for Metro Center Subway:
— Metro Center Metro Station to Pennsylvania Ave NW & 14th St NW:
1. Exit station through 13TH ST NW & G ST NW entrance.
2. Walk approx. 1 block S on 13th St NW.
3. Turn right on Pennsylvania Ave NW.
4. Walk approx. 1 block W on Pennsylvania Ave NW.
— Parking lots: the nearby National Theater reports the following parking lot areas include:
— PMI
— 1220 E Street, NW – Enter on E Street between 12th and 13th Streets
— 424 11th Street, NW
— 1325 G Street, NW – Enter on G Street between 13th and 14th Streets
— QUICK PARK
— 1301 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW – Enter on 13th Street between E and F Streets
— Freedom Plaza is an open air plaza which is in front of The National Theater, whose address is 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004. Directions to Freedom Plaza are essentially not much different than going to the front of the National Theater (National Theater driving directions, street map of area, parking directions, Metro directions).
Additional Resources:
Report on April 11 Rally in Google-based Simplified Chinese Language Translation
Tuidang Web Site – Chinese Language
Tuidang Facebook Page – English Language
Quit CCP Web Site – English Language
Nine Commentaries on CCP – English Language
January 5, 2010 – NDTV: Former Chinese Official Renounces Communist Party Membership
January 4, 2010 – R.E.A.L. Report on Philadelphia Chinese Cultural Event and Quit CCP Movement
October 21, 2009: An underground challenge to China’s status quo – by Caylan Ford
July 20, 2009 – Tuidang campaign is most successful civil rights movement in China
Communist China: Newspaper Suspended for Showing Anti-Communist Party Slogan on Front Page
R.E.A.L. Postings on Totalitarianism
January 15, 2010 – R.E.A.L. Report on Shen Yun: Performing for Human Rights and Freedom in China
——————————————————————————————————————————————–
Christian Science Monitor Commentary: An underground challenge to China’s status quo
As Obama plans his visit to China in November, he should pay attention to the Tuidang movement. It shows that the Chinese people understand human rights and civil liberties.
By Caylan Ford
posted October 21, 2009 at 12:00 am EDT
Washington —
The lead image on the Sept. 27 edition of the Jinzhou evening newspaper was hardly unusual. In anticipation of the 60th anniversary of Communist Party rule in China, it featured a street lined with enormous red flags beating in the wind.
It would have been nearly indistinguishable from any other Chinese state-run newspaper that day but for one important detail. In the bottom left corner of the photo, scrawled on a bike rack, were eight tiny but clearly visible characters: “Heaven condemns the Communist Party; denounce it and be blessed.”
Similar writings that dare to challenge the divine mandate of China’s rulers appear regularly across China, hanging as banners in city parks, posted on Internet forums, or handwritten on paper bank notes. It is all evidence of a movement that has silently swept the nation. Called Tuidang, which translates simply as “withdraw from the party,” the movement encourages people to publicly renounce their membership in Communist organizations. The implications are manifold. This is the first time since the 1980s that China has seen such a large, organized dissident movement – if an underground one.
The day after the image ran, the Jinzhou newspaper came under investigation by the government. Its website was shut down, and the paper taken out of circulation.
The incident represents a fitting analogy for the state of the Communist Party today. Beneath the pomp and power lie resentment, discontent, and questions. In 60 years of Communist rule, China has endured political and social upheaval that have left deep psychic wounds.
But in the country’s totalitarian climate, the people have few avenues to openly discuss their country’s history or to make peace with their own role in it. Since China has not had its opportunity for truth and reconciliation, its citizens are finding their own ways to do this.
Perhaps that explains the extraordinary appeal of the Tuidang movement, which organizers say has more than 60 million participants. It began in late 2004, when New York-based Chinese dissident newspaper DaJiYuan (Epoch Times, affiliated with the spiritual movement Falun Gong) ran a series of polemic editorials detailing the history of the Communist Party in China.They also proclaimed that the country would not truly be free or prosperous until it was rid of the party, which, it argued was at odds with China’s cultural and spiritual values.
Millions of copies of the articles found their way into mainland China through e-mails, faxes, and underground printing houses. Some Chinese readers say the articles finally confirmed what they suspected all along – about the Great Leap Forward, the Tiananmen massacre, the Cultural Revolution. This offered recognition that their memories were real and their suffering was shared.
But despite appearances, this is not a political movement in the conventional sense. Unlike the student movement of 1989 or the more recent Charter 2008 manifesto – both of which embraced the language of Western democracy – the Tuidang movement employs distinctly Chinese language and meaning. More Confucian than humanist, it often makes its points by drawing on Buddhist and Daoist spirituality.
Denouncing the party is thus not simply political activism, but takes on spiritual meaning as a process of cleansing the conscience and reconnecting to traditional ethics and values.
In December 2004, one month after the articles were published by the dissident newspaper, its editors starting receiving statements from readers declaring their wish to disavow membership in the Communist Party, the Communist Youth League, or the Young Pioneers, sometimes after their memberships had technically expired. Today, statements representing some 60 million people have been sent to the newspaper, which posts them to an online database.
The authenticity of the declarations is impossible to independently verify. Most people sign them using aliases to protect their safety, and there are no provisions to prevent fraudulent postings.
But the numbers are really not the point. For those who do send in their statements disavowing the party, the postings offer a rare platform to vent frustrations, discuss ideas, share stories of suffering, or find forgiveness.
Many relay tales of personal victimization under the Communist Party. Take, for instance, Ding Weikun, a 74-year-old veteran party member from rural Zhejiang Province. In 2003, his town’s government colluded with private developers to seize the land of local farmers. The farmers protested, Mr. Ding wrote, and armed thugs were brought in to suppress them. “I witnessed the killing and injuring of dozens of villagers, on the spot,” he noted. The old man tried to pursue justice by appealing to the local government, but he was arrested and sentenced to prison by the very party that he had served for 40 years.
While some write of their personal suffering, others speak of their crimes. For them, withdrawing from the party is about seeking absolution.
“I have always thought that I was a good man, but looking back I realize that I had gradually lost myself,” wrote Xiao Shanbo, a former party member from China’s northeastern Liaoning Province. “My mind and heart slowly became corrupted. I declare invalid all the words and deeds I have done in the past. These were decisions that I made out of ignorance due to the lies and propaganda of the [Communist Party].”
Mr. Xiao never specifies his crimes, but closes his posting with a plea for forgiveness: “God, please give me this chance! I have gone through much arduous soul-searching, and I intend to change my ways and make up for what I have done.”
The Communist Party has reacted to the phenomenon with predictable disdain. Terms related to the movement are among the most vigorously censored on the Chinese Internet, and at least 71 people have been imprisoned for possessing movement literature or propagating its spread. That means that, if found, the activist who vandalized the bike rack in Jinzhou city will be in serious trouble.
The party may have good reason to be anxious. For decades, its power has relied on an ability to censor information, control public memory, and suppress dissenting views. The statements of participants offer a rare glimpse and great insight into the sources of discontent in China.
The Tuidang movement also shows the manner in which Chinese people understand human rights, civil liberties, and democracy, and how they might reconcile these ideas with a more traditional Confucian worldview. It could perhaps even serve as a precursor for another democracy movement.
But one way or another, the movement certainly challenges the popular view that most Chinese people are satisfied with the status quo. As President Obama prepares for his November visit, it is reason to consider engaging more with the Chinese people, and not only with their government.
Today, as more and more Chinese citizens are remembering their past, they may well change China’s future, too.
Caylan Ford is a master’s degree candidate in international affairs at The George Washington University, where she studies Chinese politics and international security. She is currently writing a thesis on organized dissent in China. She is also a volunteer analyst at the Falun Dafa Information Center and was a staff writer for Epoch Times until 2007.
[Editor’s note: The original version did not give the English name of the referenced newspaper or the affiliation. Additional information about the author has also been added.]
“The United States Congress established the Days of Remembrance as our nation’s annual commemoration of the Holocaust and created the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum as a permanent living memorial to the victims. This year Holocaust Remembrance Day is Sunday, April 11. The Museum designated Stories of Freedom: What You Do Matters as the theme for the 2010 observance. In accordance with its Congressional mandate, the Museum is responsible for leading the nation in commemorating the Days of Remembrance, and for encouraging and sponsoring appropriate observances throughout the United States.”
“Observances and remembrance activities can occur during the week of Remembrance that runs from the Sunday before Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom Hashoah) through the following Sunday (view the Remembrance Day Calendar). Days of Remembrance are observed by state and local governments, military bases, workplaces, schools, churches, synagogues, and civic centers.”
