An odd article popped up on our Google alerts today: the news that the Columbia University Chinese Students and Scholars Association posted “a statement on its Web site on Wednesday that calls for the ‘execution’ of ‘anyone who offends China'” (which it appears actually happens). It’s from the Epoch Times, which is known to be a mouthpiece for followers of Falun Gong, which may or may not qualify as a cult.
Bwog couldn’t find that statement on CUCSSA’s website. But we did find a report alleging that Columbia University Falun Dafa’s president had barged in on CUCSSA’s president while he was doing research in Mudd, attempting to interview him for a Falun Gong-affiliated TV station.
We’re not sure where the facts stop and the spin begins on this one.
UPDATE, 7/16, 9:15 PM EST: According to SGB Chair Jonathan Siegel: “Both CUCSSA and Falun Dafa have been SGB groups for many, many years, although Falun Dafa has not been funded for several years – they don’t meet SGB’s requirements (10 undergraduates, and an undergraduate president and treasurer) for funding. They both are almost exclusively graduate student groups, although until this year CUCSSA has usually had an undergraduate president and treasurer. As far as I know, the first major incident between the two groups was in the last few months of the spring semester when CUCSSA aggressively protested an event Falun Dafa had about organ harvesting in China. Falun Dafa filed a complaint with the SGB and the University at that time. Since then Falun Dafa has sent us several other complaints (we aren’t officially investigating any of this until the fall semester, since many of our board members are out of town), including CUCSSA’s web posting. The posting is in Chinese, and once we begin our investigation we’ll be having it translated to see what CUCSSA actually said.”
SGB is looking into the incident, and may take disciplinary action when the year starts.
26 Comments
@heehee What? No funding? They need the money?
“Raffle for Falun Gong!”
-v113
@Does CUCSSA have SGB funding? It seems absurd for it to do so since its an ARM OF THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT
also, has SGB/CU captured a copy of the web posting before this uproar, and presumably, an opportunity for those responsible at CUCSSA to alter it?
@Falun Gong & CUCSSA are both stupid. They should just leave each other alone and die in peace…
@no "execution" page i don’t see anything about execution on their site.
although you’ve gotta love this gem:
“Just like the “People’s Temple”, “Branch of Davidians” and “Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints” in the United States, “Falun Gong” is a cult organization harmful to the society and violating human rights. It is a cancer of the modern, civilized society.”
@Wait Wait – Falun Gong = Mormons? IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW.
@AzRdFc But what does this have to do with Asian-redface researcH?
@Valcarcel If Alfredo Zaragoza were Chinese, he’d be President of CUCSSA.
@America China is stupid. PANCAKES.
@echo? epoch?
@Poster 18 Yeah, it’s written in Chinese. Can anyone translate and corroborate that it is what CUCSSA says it is?
http://en.epochtimes.com/news/7-7-14/57596.html
@maybe maybe the echo is right but there seems to be *zero* evidence of a post advocating “execution”, which suggests that they are no better than o’reilly in the struggle of logic vs. rhetoric
@Can anyone here read Chinese? the Epoch Times made it sound like the item calling for “execution” is a Chinese-language post on the CUCSSA site.
@to be fair the echo times has run pieces on columbia and other schools’ chinese associations for months; it’s clearly agenda-driven, but that doesn’t change they seem to be right about some of the facts. question being whether its all that wrong.
@Ministry of Info I THINK the CUCSSA were behind a publication left throughout Lerner last year in conjunction with a photo exhibit on the 5th floor. The publication included stuff on how tibet was rightfully part of China, and how the Chinese government plans to “preserve” Tibetan culture. It was basically the most ridiculous, paternalistic thing I’d ever read. (I MIGHT be wrong in thinking that it was the chinese club that left the pamphlets, but I’m almost positive that was the case. I’m sure someone will correct me i’m wrong).
Even if the club does get Columbia funding/space, we shouldn’t be vetting their activities to make sure it meets approved standards of intelligence; still, perhaps a strongly worded letter is in order.
@also also here is URL for graphic, from falundafa’s site:
http://www.falundafa.org/eng/images/ttl_pic.jpg
@so what? don’t all clubs have an advisory board consisting only of members of foreign consulates? oh wait, now that you mention it, that’s completely abgefucked.
also please no more roflcopters, for fuck’s sake people. ‘hahaha’ got the point across just fine.
@well, a hahaha in the subject and another hahahaha in the body seemed redundant!
@Hmmm China?
@Lucy where’d you find my baby picture?
@Hahaha roflcopter
@CUCSSA is the freakiest club on campus. their constitution is vetted by the Chinese Consulate and a Chinese ambassador sits on their board. how they keep getting Columbia funding is beyond me because they clearly are an arm of the Chinese government.
@the root of all evil. That comment was as good as the post
@No funding they don’t get any funding from Columbia & haven’t for years.
Falun Gong is not a cult though; they’re essentially like a Yoga group that got ridiculously popular in China & were seen as a parallel (and therefore threatening) movement to the Chinese govt. Hence the ‘cult’ propoganda.
@ugh columbia students are pathetic. i can’t wait until i graduate.
@what? i don’t see anything about execution on their site. please post url
@charlie aaawww, they took my friggin kidney