The Chinese group Falun Gong is taking the Wellington City Council to court for banning the group from street parades.

Falun Gong practitioners want the right to participate in the Christmas parade after earlier being banned from the Cuba Street carnival and Chinese New Year festival.

Wellington City Council says the group is political and political groups are not able to participate.

But Falun Gong lawyer Tony Ellis says it is a spiritual group.

The group claim that Wellington City Council is trying to maintain a good relationship with China's government, which bans Falun Gong completely.

(TVNZ, November 2, 2007)

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Original text from http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/1318360/1426479