U.S.-based Chinese human rights activist Chen Guangcheng is urging the FBI to take decisive action against what he calls the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) escalating campaign of far-reaching harassment and sabotage targeting Falun Gong practitioners and the Shen Yun Performing Arts troupe in the United States.
Shen Yun, a New York-based dance company founded by Falun Gong practitioners, has faced bomb threats, life-threatening sabotage of their touring vehicles, and an ongoing smear campaign in the American and global press—incidents that Chen views as part of a coordinated, transnational repression effort directed by the CCP from Beijing.
“The CCP is using America’s freedoms to destroy others’ freedoms,” Chen told The Epoch Times. “It uses free speech to harm other people’s right to free speech. This must not be allowed.”
Chen, a blind lawyer who escaped house arrest in China in 2012 and is now a research fellow at The Catholic University of America, said the U.S. authorities should investigate, prosecute offenders, and deport those involved in these illegal operations.
Spirituality Seen as Threat
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline and meditation practice with moral teachings based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. The practice was first introduced to the public in 1992 by Mr. Li Hongzhi and quickly grew in popularity.
In July 1999, then-CCP leader Jiang Zemin launched a brutal persecution campaign aimed at crushing the practice and its 100 million adherents within six months.
That persecution has since expanded overseas through the CCP’s United Front work and other infiltration efforts.
Chen accused the CCP of “weaponizing” parts of the American legal system, legacy media, and social media platforms in an attempt to discredit Falun Gong and Shen Yun.
He cited The New York Times as an example, calling the paper’s 2020 report labeling The Epoch Times “anti-China” to be “pure nonsense.”
“I’ve always read The Epoch Times, and it has always made the clearest distinction between the CCP and the Chinese people,” Chen said. “I have never seen a single anti-China article from them.”
Australian-based Chinese dissident and author Yuan Hongbing previously told The Epoch Times that CCP leader Xi Jinping had ordered an escalation in overseas persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, focusing on “public opinion warfare” and “lawfare.”
Since March 2024, The New York Times has published 12 articles critical of Falun Gong and Shen Yun. The Falun Dafa Information Center noted that several of the paper’s key sources—former Shen Yun dancers—had ties to the Beijing Dance Academy, a CCP state-funded organization.
Alleged Links to Harassment
The Falun Dafa Information Center also said it was aware that one CCP-aligned YouTuber—named by China’s Ministry of Public Security as an influencer they support for attacks on Falun Gong and Shen Yun—has close ties with New York Times’ interviewees. In August 2024, he publicly discussed collaborating with the paper’s reporters, the center said.
Chen warned that the CCP is recruiting Western influencers to push its narratives. In October 2024, U.S. political commentator Tim Pool revealed that he had received an email offering several hundred dollars to create a short video opposing Falun Gong.
“The CCP is buying Western YouTubers and social media influencers to attack dissidents, human rights defenders, and anyone supporting democratic change in China and may [negatively] influence their authoritarian rule—including Falun Gong,” Chen said.
Threats and Sabotage
In February, Shen Yun’s opening performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., received a bomb threat via email, claiming an explosive had been planted in the theater. The venue was evacuated but after a U.S. Park Police investigation, the threat was deemed false and the performance went ahead as planned.
The troupe has also reported incidents of physical sabotage. In March 2024, two of Shen Yun’s touring buses in Costa Mesa, California, were found to have deep slashes through its tires—enough to risk blowouts at high speeds. Since then, Shen Yun has stationed guards to watch its vehicles around the clock.
Chen, who has attended Shen Yun performances with his wife in Washington, praised the company for portraying Chinese history and culture through music. He said that if Shen Yun is able to perform in China one day, it would have “a profound impact” on Chinese society.
A Call for Firm Action
Chen believes the FBI should treat the CCP’s transnational repression of any groups like the Falun Gong spiritual group as a serious threat to U.S. sovereignty and civil liberties.
“If someone violates U.S. law—harassing others or undermining their freedoms—they can and should be removed from the country,” he said. “There’s no need to be polite about it.”
He argued that offenders should either serve prison time or be deported to China, particularly if they are not U.S. citizens.
“We should not let them exploit America’s legal system to evade punishment or even to sue others,” Chen said. “They should be cleared out of the country immediately.”
Li Chen contributed to this report.