Falun Dafa Bid To Enter Auckland Santa Parade

 
Media Advisory
20 November 2007
 
Falun Dafa Association Gives Undertaking to Enter  2007 Auckland Farmers Santa Parade
 
The Falun Dafa Association of New Zealand (Inc) (“the Association”) in a letter dated 7 July 2007 applied to participate in the 2007 Auckland Farmers Santa Parade. The organizers of the 2007 Auckland Farmers Santa Parade have so far not extended an invitation to the Association.

In the hope that the organizers of the 2007 Auckland Farmers Santa Parade will extend an invitation to the Association, the President of the Falun Dafa Association has provided a letter addressed to Mr Michael Barnett, Chairman of the Famers Santa Parade Trust Committee, undertaking that the Association is willing to abide by any relevant conditions that govern participants in the 2007 Auckland Farmers Santa Parade.

The Association also undertakes that no distribution or dissemination of any Falun Dafa related material will occur at the 2007 Auckland Farmers Santa Parade.
 
Please see below a copy of the letter prepared by the President of the Association and sent to Mr Michael Barnett.
 
 
 
TO: Mr Michael Barnett
      Farmers Santa Parade Trust Committee
 
 
CC: Ms Pam Glaser (The Manager)
    Dr Cathy Casey (Auckland City Councilor)
 
 
Dear Mr Barnett
 
RE: Falun Dafa Association Application to enter 2007 Farmers Santa Parade
 
As President of the New Zealand Falun Dafa Association (Inc) I write to you concerning our application dated 7 July 2007 to enter the 2007 Auckland Farmers Santa Parade (“the Parade”).
 
I wish to advise you that we are ready to participate in the Parade. It is not too late for us to participate, and a short notification period is no difficulty as we are very well prepared. As you will be aware, we performed at the 2007 Wellington Farmers Santa Parade very recently and both the organizers of that parade and members of the public enjoyed the captivating spectacle afforded by our entry.  We hope that we can entertain the Auckland public and make the 2007 Auckland Farmers Santa Parade truly an event to remember for all concerned. Therefore we invite you to allow us to participate in the 2007 Auckland Farmers Santa Parade.
 
As President of the Association I provide an undertaking to you that we are willing to abide by any relevant conditions that govern participants in the Parade. I also undertake that no distribution or dissemination of any Falun Dafa related material will occur at the Parade.
 
For the sake of completeness, our objection is to the Chinese Communist Party’s persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners in China. We love China, and stress that China is not to be confused with the Chinese Communist Party. The most important issue is the Chinese Communist Party’s persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners in China, not the issue of whether Falun Dafa is “political”. Who should be condemned? The persecutor or the persecuted? In fact, Falun Dafa is not “political”. We are a spiritual group, as acknowledged by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the United States Department of State in their Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. We have no interest in politics neither do we have any political aspirations. Please be advised that in the interests of accuracy and for the avoidance of error a copy of this letter will be forwarded to media so that all persons are made aware of our position, and of course the undertakings we have made to you above.
 
We look forward to hearing from you shortly.
 
John Yu
President of the Falun Dafa Association of New Zealand (Inc)

Ends
 

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