CIPFG: Boycotting the Olympic Games 2008 for Human Rights Is Not Politics (Photos)

At a press conference held at the Canadian Parliament
on May 30, 2007, acclaimed Jewish scholar and chairman of the Organ Donation
Committee of the Kidney Foundation for Eastern Ontario, and the chair of the
“Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong in China” (CIPFG), Rabbi
Reuven Bulka, declared that boycotting the Olympic Games 2008 is not politics,
but a human rights issue.

Canadian Parliament Member Borys Wrzesnewskyj, said on May 30, “I am a supporter
of this particular initiative (boycotting the Olympic Games) and I encourage
all MPs and in fact parliamentarians around the world to take part in this alternative
torch run.”


Canadian Parliament Member Borys Wrzesnewskyj


Acclaimed Jewish scholar and the chair of the “Coalition to
Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong in China (CIPFG)”, Rabbi Reuven Bulka


Former Parliament Member, Simma Holt

Support for Boycotting Olympic Games to Stop Genocide in China

Dr. Bulka said, “The Chinese government shouldn't be afraid of an investigation,
and that's all that we are asking. And what is very clear is even that
has not been forthcoming, and we are here today to give a warning in advance
to the Chinese government, which includes our urging to them to stop the persecution
of the Falun Gong immediately, to release all incarcerated practitioners, to
stop the persecution of the friends and supporters and defense lawyers of Falun
Gong Practitioners, and to hold negotiations with the coalition to allow for
the investigation of what is going on, and obviously with the purpose of stopping
completely this horrific practice of taking live organs from Falun Gong practitioners
and making a multi-million dollar industry of this worldwide.”

MP Wrzesnewskyj stated, “It is horrific when you read the reports to realize
that in the very country that wants to showcase itself during the Olympics,
these sorts of atrocities could be taking place today. I am a supporter of this
particular initiative and I encourage all MPs and in fact parliamentarians around
the world to take part in this alternative torch run.”

Mr. Kilgour, the Former Secretary of State for Asian Pacific, said, “All of
us hoped when China was given the games that human rights would improve in China.
What I think is not well-known is the fact that human rights have significantly
deteriorated in the country.”

He continued, “Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Human Rights in
China–virtually every independent NGO–has said the same thing: that human
rights are getting worse, not better in anticipation of the games which are
a little more than year away.

“The process of killing Falun Gong practitioners for their organs and then
selling their organs very often to foreigners for huge amounts of money continues,
and it's simply impossible in my view to have torture and killing going
on in one part of Beijing and the games going on in another part of Beijing.
The two are simply incompatible. It's totally incompatible with the Olympic
spirit and it must not and cannot go on.”

Simma Holt, the former Member of Parliament for Vancouver-Kingsway, said,
“Genocide just sounds like a word, but the Chinese communist regime is taking
body parts, taking body parts and selling them like they were McDonald's–you
can get them cheaper if you buy two, and every time they take an organ from
a living person, that person dies.” Simma Holt received much support by the
Chinese community in Vancouver-Kingsway.

Boycotting the Olympic Games Is a Human Rights Issue, Not Politics

On May 18, the Chinese Foreign Affairs Minister, Yang Jiehu, claimed, “A handful
of people are trying to politicize the Olympic Games.” In response to this,
Dr. Bulka declared: “I think the point we need to emphasize, is that this is
not politics. This is a human rights issue. This has nothing to do with politics.
We are all foursquare and lovers of the Chinese people. As a rabbi I can tell
you that many in our community have always enjoyed Chinese food. That's
the thing that has sustained many of them for many, many years. We want to stop,
not because of any politics but because there are innocent individuals who are
being killed and we can't stand back and do nothing in the face of that.
Anybody who says to you that this is politics, that's an absurdity.”

Mr. David Kilgour said, “The games have been politicized by the government
of China. I think some of you are aware of the bulletin that went out saying
who would be allowed to go to China to see the games, how they'd be treated,
and who would not be allowed. That bulletin is now a public document which is
on a number of websites. It is so much contrary to the Olympic spirit that its
hard to think of anything worse.”

Regarding the above comment of Chinese Foreign Affairs Minister Yang Jiehu,
MP Wrzesnewskyj said: “Its an absolutely ridiculous comment and even if we set
aside the fact that tens of thousands of people in countries around the world
have taken interest, even if we set aside the fact that Mr. Kilgour and Mr.
Matas have traveled and met with parliamentarians, politicians, leaders of organizations
and of countries in over 20 countries–even if we set aside those particular
numbers, a handful of people? Oh my goodness, how many thousands are imprisoned
in China and how many thousands have lost their lives due to this policy of
organ harvesting of Falun Gong members? Its an absolutely a ridiculous comment
which tries to diminish what in fact is taking place. And it's time for
the propaganda to stop, and instead what they should be looking at is stopping
this practice.”

Dr. Torsten Trey, the spokesman of Doctors Against Organ Harvesting, said:
“Just imagine if the Olympics would take place next year in Sudan or in another
dictatorship like in the Nazi regime, would the whole world agree to have the
Olympic Games in such a dictatorship? So the case with China is not a single
case; it would apply in each country. And, as far as I know, when they invited
the Olympic Games to China they said 'Give us a chance, so that we can
improve human rights.' So they said it actually themselves. They set the
rule, they set the standard to improve human rights, but what happened since
2001? For the past 6 years organs have been harvested from living people, so
it's the opposite.”

Dr. Trey said: “We are not setting up a new rule, we are just following what
they said. They want to improve human rights, but they didn't and it's
a basic right that we are talking about.”

Posting date: 3/June/2007
Original article date: 3/June/2007
Category: World News

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