‘It sounds so wild that it could almost sound like a conspiracy theory, and the reality is, it’s happening,’ one state lawmaker said.
PHILADELPHIA—Americans in Greater Philadelphia are calling for attention to communist infiltration in the United States on the 20th anniversary of The Epoch Times’ editorial series “Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party.”
The series, which exposes the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s bloody history and provides an in-depth analysis of the party’s deceptive and violent nature, sparked Tuidang, a movement by Chinese people to sever their ties with the CCP and its affiliated organizations.
As of Nov. 22, the number of people who have chosen to sever ties with the CCP had exceeded 439 million, according to the Global Service Center for Quitting the CCP.
“That’s wonderful!” said Chris Rowe, treasurer of Western Region New Castle County Republican Party, upon learning that more than one-third of the Chinese population has quit the CCP with the Tuidang movement.
“It doesn’t take a big number to change or take over a nation,” Rowe told The Epoch Times at a community event in Newark, Delaware, on Sept. 15. “I would love to see the CCP getting taken over by those people who believe in freedom, believe in God.”
Concerned about the infiltration of communism into the United States, especially through the education system, Rowe, who also works for the Institute on the Constitution, appealed for Americans to educate themselves.
“They need to learn the Constitution, understand their history and the founders’ intention with the creation of our nation,” he said. “The Pilgrims came here to basically spread the word of Christianity in our nation and that’s the foundation of our nation.”
Calling for an End to Forced Organ Harvesting
State Rep. Cyndie Romer called for raising awareness of the CCP’s practice of forced organ harvesting, which mainly targets practitioners of Falun Gong, a meditation practice centered on the values of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. She voted in June for a resolution in the Delaware House that condemns organ harvesting.
In 1999, a wide-scale persecution was launched by the CCP against Falun Gong practitioners, and many were arrested and tortured for their faith.
“It’s an unthinkable thing that people do,” she told The Epoch Times at the Community Day event in Newark, Delaware, on Sept. 15.
“It’s really important to vote for this type of legislation because it raises awareness that this is even happening, because it sounds so wild that it could almost sound like a conspiracy theory, and the reality is, it’s happening.”
The Delaware resolution passed shortly before the first known survivor of the CCP’s forced organ harvesting stepped forward to testify after escaping China.
“I’m very proud to vote for putting an end to this,” said Romer.
Communism ‘One of the Most Evil’ Formulations
Christine Flowers, an immigration lawyer, columnist, and TV commentator, likened the CCP to fascism, stating that both are equally evil in their destruction of human nature.
“Fascism, communism, all of these oligarchies of repression are the same,” she told The Epoch Times at a Tuidang movement gathering on Aug. 31. “They have different names and they have different modalities, but their main purpose is to silence people and to destroy the humanity of the human being and the individualism.”
She likened the CCP’s control of speech and information to what George Orwell depicted in his novel “1984.”
“That’s what’s happening in China. … They control the information that’s getting out there. They control what people can say, what people can think,” she said. “I find communism to be one of the most evil, evil formulations of any government.”
Flowers, who once criticized the raising of communist China’s national flag outside Philadelphia’s City Hall in an opinion article published by the Philadelphia Inquirer, also praised the Falun Gong Protection Act, saying that Americans should support legislation that “pushes back against the People’s Republic [of China].”
Falun Gong Protection Act (H.R. 4132) was passed in the House in June and introduced to the Senate in July by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). If it becomes a law, those involved in forced organ harvesting in China, whether individuals or organizations, will face U.S. sanctions, including visa restrictions and economic penalties.
‘No Communism at All’
Laura DelPercio, the chair of the Republican Committee for the Western New Castle area in Delaware, echoed concern about the infiltration of socialism and communism into the land of the free.
“I’m seeing the presence more widespread than what I’ve seen in the past, especially with Delaware,” she told The Epoch Times at the Community Day event, adding that more and more political candidates are running under the Delaware Socialist Party, something that she hadn’t seen until the past 10 years.
She also noted the communist thoughts entering the American school system.
“I’m fearful for what can happen with our school systems,” she said. “Right now, we are seeing a little bit of that creeping into our school systems, and it’s just a scary time for us here in Delaware.”
DelPercio encouraged Americans, including those who fled communist China, to understand the Constitution and their rights.
“If you know the Constitution and you understand what your rights are, then you will know that they’re being infringed upon. It’s so important to know what we stand for as a country in order to save it and protect it,” she said.
“I enjoy my freedom. I have choices. I’m able to decide how I want to live, where I want to live. I’m able to decide the car I want to drive, where I send my children to school.
“The United States is born on freedom and I want to see that continue,” she said. “I don’t want to see my grandchildren grow up in a country where they no longer have a choice.
“No communism at all.”
William Huang contributed to this report.
Correction: A previous version of this article misspelled the name of Laura DelPercio. The Epoch Times regrets the error.