Chinese Government Perspective

Chinese Communist View on Falun Gong

Theory Falun Gong are labeled as a cult group. Whether the heads of the Communist Party truly believe this is of no consequence. The title is part of the attempts to keep the group from further spreading within Chinese borders. From the government's perspective, the Falun Gong are anti-Communist, traitors to the regime, and an evil force working on their citizens.

The 1999 Crackdown

In June 1999, the Chinese Communist Party Head took major action against the members of Falun Gong. Jiang Zemin led the offensive orders and wanted the religious group to be rid of in three months. At this point in time, Falun Gong had members in all parts of Chinese society, from the police to university professors to central government employees. As the Communist party is atheist in nature, they see a threat in the influence of this religious group. The "610 Office" is an extra-legal task force established to go after the Falun Gong no matter the red tape involved. A large portion of work for the rest of the campaign was denouncing the religion and how it negatively impacts the citizens. This was done through loud speaker messages, posters, and comics. Finally, in July of the same year, a crackdown took place in which members of Falun Gong were forcibly removed from their homes to holding areas, some of which were tortured and others killed.

From the perspective of the Communist Party, the crackdown on Falun Gong was a defensive measure to protect themselves from the threat they perceived. It ultimately was just a ploy to keep control of the people. Jiang Zemin worked to establish the Falun Gong as an enemy to the state and keep the public view of them negative. Actions taken against them were not religious based, but solely a political maneuver to keep their group from becoming more influential within the country.