Apparently, That’s why for more than a decade, top positions in the Communist Party have been filled by people who helped former leader Jiang Zemin persecute Falun Gong (a.k.a. Falun Dafa). Of course, they meant to wipe out Falun Gong within three months. That was 17 years ago.
Now, the simple fact that Falun Gong practitioners—who primarily sit in meditation, or stand quietly, or sometimes march in dangerously colorful parades—continue in the face of pressure is eating away at the Communist Party from within.
But the Communist Party doesn’t like to admit it’s wrong. The only thing it ever said might not have been perfect was the Cultural Revolution, and they still placed most of the blame for that on Mao Zedong’s wife. And then did their best to never talk about it again.
Imagine what would happen if the Communist Party officially stopped persecuting Falun Gong. The Party would have to admit that Falun Gong aren’t crazy, dangerous people that have to be put down. And ordinary Chinese people would realize that if the Party lied about Falun Gong all these years, and only persecuted it for political reasons, then the Party could decide to do that to anyone.
And maybe they'd start to question the Party’s rule.
Of course, it might already be too late.
Chris Chappell investigates from New York.
Shelley Zhang tries to reign him in a bit.
