Shen Yun Presenters Hold Press Conference on Four Seasons Centre’s Cancellation of Toronto Performances

My name is Joel Jokar. I'm the spokesperson for the Falun DAFA Association of Toronto and a Shen Yen presenter here in Toronto. A bomb threat on Sunday forced the cancellation of a Shen Yen performance at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, citing additional threats. The venue has now cancelled all remaining performances scheduled for April 1st to 5th, impacting thousands of audience members and of course the arts community. These threats are a cowardly attack on artistic expression and our freedoms. While the safety of patrons, artists and theatre staff is paramount to us, we commend Toronto Police for their swift response in confirming that there was no credible threat. We believe these threats are part of a broader campaign by the Chinese Communist Party to silence Shen Yen, a performance that showcases China before communism and highlights ongoing human rights abuses in China today. Over the past two years, more than a dozen threats targeting Shen Yen across Canada, including Mississauga, Kitchener and Vancouver, have been investigated and deemed non-credible, with performances proceeding safely. Globally, more than over 150 similar threats have targeted Shen Yen, with reports indicating some originated from China as part of this coordinated disruption effort. Sunday's threat was traced to a Chinese Gmail account that moved between Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan. Last year, Taiwan's Criminal Investigation Bureau traced similar threats to a facility in Xi'an, China. A year earlier, two Chinese agents in the United States were sentenced to prison for attempting to bribe an internal revenue service agent to open an investigation into Shen Yen. The U.S. State Department has also condemned ongoing intimidation targeting the company. Shen Yen's mission is to revive traditional Chinese spiritual culture suppressed under communism and to raise awareness of human rights abuses, including the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, a faith rooted in kindness, compassion and traditional values. For 27 years, the Chinese Communist Party has persecuted this community and Shen Yen is among several initiatives aimed at peacefully raising awareness. This incident goes beyond one production. It raises serious concerns about allowing foreign interference or any threats to dictate what Canadians can see and who can express themselves. This is a risk to all Canadians, not just Shen Yen. We condemn the Chinese Communist Party for their continued attack on our Canadian sovereignty and intimidation of Canadians, the arts and our institutions. We call on the Canadian government to publicly denounce these actions by the Communist Party and we appeal to artists, performers and artistic organizations to join us in condemning in the strongest way possible any effort to threaten or intimidate artists or patrons of the arts here in Canada. We're all affected and we cannot allow such threats to determine our cultural landscape. If the threats are found baseless and so far authorities have found them to be, then Canadians should be allowed to see Shen Yen and the theater should support this. This is an issue of artistic freedom, again freedom from intimidation and Canadian sovereignty. We remain committed to ensuring to our audiences can experience Shen Yen and we will defend your right to see it and we refuse to be silenced. I have with me today some Shen Yen performers who want to share something as well. I want to introduce Nancy Zhang of the MC to start. Hello everyone, my name is Nancy Zhang. I am a master of ceremony with Shen Yen Performing Arts. Before we begin, I want to mention that as a Shen Yen performer, I've really appreciated our relationship with Four Seasons Sector. We've performed here for 10 years and it is such a beautiful venue with very kind staff who have been so helpful all these years. It's unfortunate that they were put in this situation and in a way are a victim of the CCP as well. My family has experienced firsthand the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China. It changed my childhood and my family forever. When I was eight years old, my mother was in prison for three years simply because of her faith. During that time, my father was also detained and sent to a brainwashing center. These aliens left deep scars on my childhood. I will never forget the day my mother was taken away. After school, I watched as my classmates were picked up by their parents one by one. I waited for a long time but no one came for me. As it began to get dark, my aunt finally arrived to take me home. With my both parents gone, I have to live with her for a month. The persecution devastated my family. My grandfather's health declined rapidly from the stress and my grandmother spent her days going from one government office to another, trying to find out what has happened to her daughter. When my grandfather passed away, my mom was still imprisoned and was not allowed to see him one last time before attending his funeral. This is something our family will never forget. Years later, the harassment continued. Police followed me from school to find our home. One day, more than a dozen officers forced their way into our house and took my mom away again. For a child, this kind of fear becomes normal, but it should never be normal. Eventually, my family realized that we could not live safely in China. We fled and for the first time in my life, I experienced freedom. I was finally able to speak openly about what was happening and to be a voice for those who still cannot speak. Today, I am proud to perform with and share the beauty of traditional Chinese culture with the audience and the world, but I also feel responsibility to tell people the truth about the persecution that is still happening in China today. My story is not unique. There are countless children in China who are growing up the way I did, separated from their parents simply because of their beliefs. Today, we are here in Toronto, in a free and democratic society. That is why it is deeply concerning to see attempts by the Chinese Communist Party to pressure theaters and interfere with Shen Ying performances here. This is not just about Shen Ying. This is about whether a foreign mafia regime can influence what Canadians are allowed to see, what stories can be told, and which voice can be heard. Artistic freedom is part of freedom itself. When intimidation crosses borders, silence should not. Thank you. I'd like to now introduce a dancer, Jared Ren. Good evening, everyone. My name is Jared and I'm a dancer with Shen Ying Performing Arts. And before I begin, just like what our MC just said, I just want to say that this is not about Four Seasons. This is about transnational repression of Falun Gong and Shen Ying on Canadian soil. Four Seasons is also a victim. Now, all of us here at Shen Ying Performing Arts are deeply saddened by the cancellation of the remaining shows in Toronto. Recent events represent a success for the CCP and a blatant failure for the fundamental freedoms and expression and belief in Canada. Over the past two years, Shen Ying has faced an unprecedented wave of coordinated attacks, ranging from media misinformation, legal warfare, to repeated bomb threats, all of which have proven to be hoaxes. This bomb threat received by the Four Seasons Centre, which directly led to the cancellation of our shows, follows the exact same pattern. We must never forget that the persecution, abuse, imprisonment, killing, and even organ harvesting of law-abiding citizens for their beliefs are still happening today. Freedom of belief is guaranteed under Article 36 of the Chinese Constitution. Yet practitioners of Falun Gong, underground Christians, Uyghurs, and others continue to face severe persecution. For many of us here at Shen Ying, this issue is deeply, deeply personal. I was born into a family of Falun Gong practitioners. My father began practicing Falun Gong in 1998 in the United States. Like many Chinese people at that time, he was interested in Shen Gong practices. After beginning Falun Gong, numerous health issues he had suffered from for many years—chronic insomnia, digestive issues, and complications from a past back injury—all disappeared. My mother soon began practicing as well after witnessing not only his physical recovery, but also profound improvement in his temperament and character. When the persecution of Falun Gong began in China, my parents were shocked and confused. They could not understand why such a peaceful and apolitical practice was being targeted by their own government. In May of 2000, my mother returned to China in Tiananmen Square to peacefully raise awareness—an act that should have been prevented under Article 35 of the Chinese Constitution. She was arrested and detained for three weeks without any due process whatsoever. During that time, she was held in a small overcrowded cell with no privacy and no access to basic hygiene. Even after returning to the United States, the persecution of her family did not stop. Because of my mother's arrest, my grandparents' phones were monitored. The first time they tried to speak freely, immediately police showed up at their home shortly afterwards. They avoided arrest only because my grandfather stated that he personally did not practice Falun Gong. On my father's side, my grandparents are visited by local officials many times per year, who pressure them to persuade their son to return to China. They assure him it is safe, but only if he abandons his beliefs. My family understands that such safety comes at the cost of conscience. This form of transnational repression has extended beyond China's borders. When my father was still a Ph.D. student at the University of Missouri, a friend of his, who was the leader of the local Chinese Students Association of that college, warned him that the Chinese consulate in Chicago had instructed individuals to collect information on Falun Gong practitioners in American soil. He called my father privately to warn him. During one visit to my grandparents, local officials even mentioned that they knew my sister, an American citizen, was performing with shame. Despite her American citizenship, she was being monitored because of her association with Falun Gong and Shen Yun. My family's story is just one among countless others. These injustices are not historical. They are going on up to this very day. At Shen Yun, we have our own belief system, but we do not force them onto anyone. We do not compel anyone to attend our performances. Choosing to watch Shen Yun is a matter of individual choice and free will. Our message is conveyed through peaceful artistic expression. We want to give a voice to those who are still voiceless today. On the other hand, the Chinese Communist Party uses threats and coercion to prevent people from seeing our performances. If such pressure is allowed to succeed, it will only embolden further interference. If they can do this to Shen Yun, they can do this to all facets of Canadian life. We hope that the Canadian government, the Canadian people, and all those who value freedom and liberal democracy will recognize what is happening. What we are witnessing is absolutely unacceptable. Yielding to such pressure only encourages more of it. We must not allow threats and intimidation to dictate how we live our lives, whether in Canada or anywhere else in the world. If this can happen here, what comes next? Thank you very much. I'd like to introduce Jason Shin, who's a musician with Shen Yun. Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Shen Yun. On June 14, 2002, I was illegally arrested by the Shanghai State Security Bureau just because I refused to renounce my faith in Falun Dafa. I was subsequently imprisoned in Shanghai's Tiananqiao Prison, where I was deprived of my freedom for five long years. In 2016, police officers barged into my home and, without presenting any legal warrants or documentation, illegally took me into custody and detained me for a month. The sole justification for this action was, again, my steadfast adherence to my belief in Falun Gong. Faced with such utter helplessness, I had no choice but to leave my hometown and family behind, coming to the United States alone. At the time, my child was only two years old. A once-normal family was shattered as a result, and to this day, my child and I remain separated. In 2017, I joined Shen Yun Performing Arts, an organization established by Falun Dafa practitioners, and have since been touring and performing across the globe every year. However, I never could have imagined that just a few days ago, while we were performing in Canada, the theater hosting our show would receive a banter. It forced the cancellation of our performance. I was shocked to discover that the Chinese Communist Party regime, which persecutes its own citizens and suppresses public freedoms within China, could act with such brazen arrogance and impunity even here, on Canadian soil. This reality brought me to a solemn realization. This is by no means merely an act of persecution and intimidation directly, solely at Shen Yun Performing Arts. Fundamentally, it constitutes a direct threat and a blatant provocation against Canada, a sovereign, independent, free, and democratic nation, and against its people. I sincerely hope that all people of conscience and a sense of justice will recognize the gravity of such incidents, particularly the severity of the use of bomb threats targeting Shen Yun, and will join hands to collectively resist these acts of terrorism and oppose this brutal suppression of fundamental freedoms. Only in this way can we truly safeguard the freedom, faith, and security of each and every one of us. I'd like to introduce Lihan Wang, who is also a musician of Shen Yun. Hello, my name is Lihan Wang. Thank you for being here today and for listening to my story. I was born in China. My family began practicing Falun Gong in 1996. When the persecution began, my mother was arrested and sentenced to prison for seven years, simply for her beliefs. My uncle was detained for 14 years. At that time, I was only four years old. For seven years, I did not see my mother even once. When she was finally released, I remember feeling confused. I knew she was my mother, but she felt like someone I barely knew. Even calling her mom felt strange. That is the kind of loss that persecution leaves behind. It steals the years a family has spent together. In 2009, my family and I were finally able to leave China and seek refuge in the United States. For the first time, I was able to grow up without constantly worrying about my family's safety. Years later, after earning my master's degree in music performance, I auditioned for Shen Yun and was fortunate to join the company. For me, Shen Yun was more than a place to perform. It is where I found others who carry stories like mine. Through our art, we hope to share the beauty of traditional Chinese culture, but also the strength of people who have endured persecution and still choose hope. When I learned that our performances were being canceled, I felt something I had never felt in many years. The feeling that someone was trying to silence us again. I never imagined that the same political pressure my family experienced in China could reach all the way to a free society like Canada. I came here believing that art and expression could exist without fear. I still believe that these values matter and that no government should be able to reach across borders to decide what artists can perform or what audiences are allowed to see. I hope my story helps people see that this is not just about Shen Yun. It is about whether intimidation should ever be allowed to silence artists in a free society. Thank you.