Pro-Beijing Nationals Obstruct Brazilian Falun Gong Appeal at G20
Brazilian Falun Gong practitioners (left) faced harassment as Chinese counter-protesters obstructed their yellow banner with flags during the G20 Summit on November 17, 2024. Brazilian police officers instructed the Chinese nationals to move away from the practitioners, but the request went unheeded (right).
The sun was setting on Rio de Janeiro. Hundreds of iron fences lined the road, creating a clear border between onlookers and the arriving Chinese delegation to the G20. Bright yellow banners stood out in the sparse crowd, displaying the phrase “Falun Dafa es bueno” (“Falun Dafa is good”) and “O genocídio contra Falun Gong precisa parar” (“The genocide against Falun Gong must stop”) in Portuguese, English, and Mandarin.
On November 17, 2024, the local Brazilian Falun Gong practitioners held their banners and waited for the delegation peacefully. Suddenly, Chinese nationals carrying oversized flags of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Brazil stormed the area, blocking the yellow banners. The local practitioners were told, “You’re not allowed here. Leave.”
Chinese hecklers ignore Brazilian authorities
In response, Falun Gong practitioners sought assistance from local law enforcement to ensure their safety. Alberto, a Brazilian Falun Gong adherent, told news reporters that he overheard a policewoman firmly addressing the Chinese nationals: “This is Brazil, our country, and they [the Brazilians] have the right to expression. Stop obstructing and oppressing them.”
Despite the policewoman’s warning, the Chinese nationals persisted in blocking banners and harassing the practitioners. The situation escalated until the Brazilian army intervened, closing the bridge and ordering everyone to evacuate. However, even after relocating, the counter-protesters continued shouting at and harassing the Falun Gong practitioners.
Following this intervention, a vehicle potentially linked to Beijing’s delegation appeared to bolster the counter-protesters’ efforts.
Pro-CCP individuals dial up harassment
The first car to arrive on the road closed off for the Chinese delegation stopped near the Falun Gong practitioners. Chinese nationals got out of the vehicle and directed the counter-protesters to continue disrupting the practitioners’ peaceful demonstration.
Alberto’s hands were struck, including by at least one flagpole, as the counter-protesters attempted to force his banner down. His fellow practitioners faced similar harassment. According to Alberto and video footage provided by Brazilian activists, over eighty young Chinese men and women encircled the six Falun Gong practitioners, yelling and prodding them with the oversized flags.
When the Falun Gong practitioners attempted to leave, the Chinese counter-protesters followed them closely, taking photos of their Uber cars and license plates. With the assistance of police, the Brazilian demonstrators were able to leave the event safely.
Surrounded at Copacabana Beach
Less than 24 hours after the incident, seven Brazilian practitioners set up their usual volunteer petition booth at the tourist-frequented Copacabana Beach.
(Video: A group of Chinese nationals wearing identical white caps featuring the PRC flag crowd around the Falun Gong display. One man is seen making a phone call, seemingly instructing someone to join them. Another Chinese man arrives with two large flags of the PRC and Brazil, and they start unraveling them.)
But soon after they finished setting up, their modest poster display was surrounded on all sides by enormous 20-foot flags of the PRC and Brazil, creating an intimidating atmosphere. The Chinese nationals attempted to damage the displays, confiscated pamphlets, and issued verbal threats toward the Brazilian practitioners.
Faced with a growing number of pro-CCP individuals, reportedly accompanied by armed private security personnel, the limited police presence opted to establish a protective perimeter. Officers surrounded the area where the Brazilian practitioners were located, creating distance between them and the Chinese nationals to mitigate further escalation.
The seven practitioners chose to meditate rather than engage in confrontation. After approximately an hour, they packed up their displays and left the beach, escorted by police.
Continuing transnational repression threats
These incidents at the G20 summit highlights yet another instance of transnational repression, with pro-Beijing Chinese nationals attempting to suppress dissenting voices in the diaspora.
Similar incidents have been documented, including in November 2023 during the APEC Summit in San Francisco, targeting both Falun Gong practitioners and other China-linked dissidents and persecuted communities. There, Falun Gong banners were obstructed and vandalized by multiple individuals linked to the Chinese consulate, and a local reporter documenting the incident was assaulted by a young Chinese man—a clear indication of the CCP’s efforts to monitor and suppress dissident voices even in democratic countries.
In 2024, escalating incidents of transnational repression have prompted the Falun Dafa Information Center to establish a tracker for such cases. To date, dozens of incidents have been recorded, including an attack on practitioners during a Brooklyn parade, an uptick in fake bomb threats, and an attempted break-in at the New York home of organ harvesting survivor Cheng Peiming.
