Outlawed, branded a cult in mainland China, Falun Gong faces calls to be banned under Hong Kong’s national security law
- Lawmakers ask why group is allowed to exist in city, despite its openly anti-Beijing activities
- Falun Gong’s Hong Kong chief insists group has been law-abiding, should be allowed to carry on
The Falun Gong have been in Hong Kong for 25 years, drawing followers who practise a mix of meditation, slow martial arts movements and breathing exercises, inspired by Buddhist and Taoist philosophy.
Members also set up prominent street booths in busy shopping areas such as Mong Kok and Causeway Bay, where they make outrageous allegations against Beijing to largely disinterested passers-by, and hang banners with messages such as: “Heaven obliterates the Chinese Communist Party.”
The group insists it is properly registered, has been law-abiding, and its presence is proof of the high degree of autonomy in the city compared with mainland China, where it is banned and called a cult.
But some believe its time is up.
At the Legislative Council on Wednesday, lawmaker Elizabeth Quat of the pro-Beijing Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) did not mince words when she demanded action against the group.
