In November 1998, BBC World broadcasted a report from correspondent James Miles on Falun Gong. This report identified Falun Gong as the No.1 cult in China, and warned people that Falun Gong may lead to mass suicide. In response, Falun Gong immediately organized its followers to write to BBC president, Britain Ambassador to China and Britain Prime Minister, and demanded BBC to openly apologize. They even threatened BBC reporters that criticizing Falun Gong harms the public interest of China society and breaches severely the provisions of Chinese law and violates seriously the general provisions of China civil law, it jeopardizes the social stability of China, is a smear of the modern development of Chinese people, and it is unfriendly to and irresponsible for the Chinese people and China government. "The reaction was quite extraordinary," says correspondent James Miles, "more response than to any article I've ever written in my entire career."
On November 1, 1999, the Wall Street Daily published a report by correspondent Craig S. Smith titled American Dream Finds Chinese Spiritual Leader, pointing out that Li Hongzhi possesses a luxurious house in New Jersey. After this the spokesman of Li Hongzhi and dozens of Li's disciples made calls, faxes and sent emails to Smith to question and warn him.
In San Francisco, USA, an expert on Falun Gong issue Samuel Luo, whose parents are both Falun Gong practitioners, has made deep study of Falun Gong and opened a website (www.exposingthefalungong.org) to reveal the true face of Falun Gong. In 2005, the domain supplier received a letter of complain from Falun Gong, asking for the identity and contact information about Samuel Luo. But in this letter more denouncement on Luo is found than legal objection. The letter claims that Luo defamed Falun Gong on his website and this is "very immoral." The letter accused Luo of recognizing the inhuman treatment and killing of Falun Gong practitioners. They thought that Luo used the term Falun Gong and infringed their trade mark right, and demanded Luo's website be closed down. But the American Civil Liberties Union decided that this "did not violate trademark law." In the summer of the same year, the International Cult Studies Association (ICSA) held its annual meeting in Spain and Luo was invited to give a speech. Several weeks before the meeting, the ICSA official was forced to cancel Luo's speech for one lawyer representing Spain Falun Gong organization threatened to file a lawsuit against them.
Miss Kerre Woodham, a famous TV host in New Zealand has also been harassed and threatened by Falun Gong for she published an article in November 2007 and appealed for baring Falun Gong from the Auckland Santa Parade.
The actions of Falun Gong to breach the freedom of speech don't gain any support even in the USA.
In 2006, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce (CCC) in San Francisco refused Falun Gong to take part in the Lunar New Year parade because Falun Gong concealed "political motivation." The Falun Gong placed a lawsuit against the CCC, claiming that CCC refusing Falun Gong to take part in the parade is an action of discrimination and violates the civil rights law of San Francisco. On May 30, 2008, the Court of Appeal in San Francisco ruled, "The First Amendment bars the government from compelling the chamber to include in the presentation of its message the very different message communicated by Falun Gong." The three-judge panel said the chamber therefore had the right to exclude groups whose messages it disagreed with. The Chamber's annual street fair and flower fair are protected by the right of free speech in the same way as the parade. (Bay City News Service, June 2, 2006)
