City officials in Pasadena, Calif., have rejected Falun Gong' calls for the city to take action against a Rose Parade float celebrating the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
The officials declined to publicly condemn China's human rights record or take other action related to the float, which will appear in the annual Tournament of Roses Parade on New Year's Day, the Los Angeles Times reported last Wednesday.
"Voters look to us for local issues like planning, police protection and potholes," Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard said after Monday's City Council meeting.
Councilman Steve Madison said during the council meeting that the debate could lead to further calls for the city to address issues outside of its jurisdiction.
"This is not what we were elected to do," he said.
John Li, president of Caltech Falun Club, a group associated with a spiritual group that has been outlawed in China, criticized the city's decision.
Sue Zhang, a fundraiser for Beijing's Tsinghua University who brought together the float's donors, "Everything was by the law. They cannot cancel the float. "
(www.facts.org.cn, November 7, 2007)
