Shen Yun Organizers Disheartened After Toronto Shows Cancelled Over Fake Threat NTD

All remaining Shen Yun shows in Toronto have been cancelled over ongoing bomb threats that the presenters say have been traced back to China. CB24's Melissa Duggan is following the story and joins us with more. Melissa, tell us what happened. So Arda, this is a show that's been going on for years. If you haven't been to it yourself, you've likely seen the advertising for Shen Yun. It puts on a kind of very visual performance of classical Chinese music and dance. And there was a performance that was set to happen on Sunday behind me here at the Four Seasons Centre for Performing Arts at about two o'clock is when it was supposed to begin. The performers were in their costumes and there were audience members also inside the venue. And then there was an alert that went out telling people to leave. What we've since learned is that there was a bomb threat that was made at this venue. It's since been deemed a hoax. What we're hearing from Toronto police is they say that threat was unfounded. And it's similar to what the organizers here tell me to threats that have happened at other venues in other cities. And what they say usually happens in these other instances is that a security check is done and then the performance is able to continue. But the Four Seasons instead has decided that that show on Sunday that it would be cancelled outright. And then five other performances that were also scheduled that they would not be happening. Now why are these threats taking place? What organizers here are telling me is that this is an orchestrated effort that they have linked to China to put a stop to these shows saying that it celebrates Chinese culture from before communism and they want to put a stop to it. But they want these performances to go on. They also want the venue to rethink their decision to cancel all these shows. Here's more of what we're hearing from the people behind Shen Yun. It's an attack on all Canadians. You know, the theatre was packed. There were 10,000 Canadians in there. But what does this mean going forward? That the Communist Party can send a bomb threat, a fake bomb threat to any theatre and stop a show if they don't want you to see it? Like what kind of message does it send if we don't do something to stop this? This kind of stuff happens in China, you know. It's like you can't say this. It doesn't go along part of the line. We receive bomb threats all the time, but then theatres usually just shrug it off. They understand like, okay, this is just a scare tactic. They don't want people in the world to see, to expose the lies of the Communist Party. But then to see that this kind of suppression is working on Canadian soil, it really broke my heart. It was like, do we still have freedom? Do we still have freedom of expression? Can people still choose to watch what they want, or are we going to be dictated by what the CCP wants the whole world to watch? A new reaction we're getting this afternoon from the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts about these cancellations. They're saying this action was taken out of an abundance of caution following the receipt of an escalating series of threatening messages that were swiftly reported to Toronto Police Service. The well-being of staff, crews, artists and audience members remain our highest priority, and the difficult decision was made entirely in the interest of public safety. So what happens next with Shen Young? Well, organisers say that they are working to bring the show back to Toronto. They can't promise when that's going to happen. Any ticket holders also who need more details about any sort of refund that they might need to receive to reach out to Shen Young directly to work through all of those sorts of things. But certainly performers here want to bring the show back to Toronto, and they want to make sure that audiences who've been enjoying it for years and years can still look forward to it in the future. Back to you, Arda. Thank you so much for this, Melissa. Welcome back. Tiffany Meyer, a major cultural performance shut down in Canada after what police say was a fake bomb threat. Organisers say it's part of the Chinese Communist Party's intimidation targeting New York-based Shen Young Performing Arts. NTD's Washington correspondent Jeff Bradley has more. A fake bomb threat in Toronto targeting New York-based Shen Young Performing Arts led to a series of cancelled shows. Police have deemed the threats not credible, and the organiser is blaming the Chinese Communist Party using the empty threat to stop Shen Young from performing. We believe these threats are part of a broader campaign by the Chinese Communist Party to silence Shen Young, a performance that showcases China before communism and highlights ongoing human rights abuses in China today. This is not just about Shen Young. This is about whether a foreign mafia regime can influence what Canadians are allowed to see. The fake bomb threats were sent via email to multiple people at Toronto's Four Seasons Centre, threatening to blow up the theatre if the show went on. After police swept the theatre multiple times, they deemed the threats not credible. It really hurts me to know this in my beautiful city of Toronto. The threat worked. If the intent was to shut down the show, then they were successful in doing that. Oh, I'm disappointed. I mean, I see it advertised on television. It looks like a fantastic show. Several Canadian officials condemning the Chinese Communist Party following the threat. We know that Shen Young has been targeted because of its effort to showcase traditional Chinese culture. Art can be provocative, and it can challenge existing power structures. And the suppression of art should not be something we tolerate here. Shen Young has reportedly received over 150 fake bomb and death threats over the past two years, and they're always found to be hoaxes. This is just the first time such a hoax has led to the cancellation of their performances. Shen Young presents the beauty of China before communism and brings to light modern day human rights abuses happening in China. I never imagined that the same political pressure my family experienced in China could reach all the way to a free society like Canada. We want to give a voice to those who are still voiceless today. The Chinese Communist Party uses threats and coercion to prevent people from seeing our performances. One Shen Young emcee recalls when her parents were sentenced to a forced labor camp and brainwashing