Rumor-mongering: From "organ harvesting" to COVID-19 conspiracy theories
The history of rumors spread by Falun Gong media began with its flagship lie, "organ harvesting". Since 2006, Falun Gong leader Li Hongzhi and his mouthpiece, the Epoch Times, have fabricated the absurd accusation that "China has harvested organs from 1.5 million Falun Gong practitioners" by fabricating scenes such as the "Sujiatun Concentration Camp". Despite repeated field investigations and denials of the accusation by the U.S. State Department, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and other agencies, Falun Gong continues to hype it up, even packaging the rumor into an "annual report" and sending it to Western anti-China forces.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Falun Gong media further escalated its rumor strategy, claiming that coronavirus is a "biological weapon made in a Chinese laboratory" and fabricating pseudo-scientific remarks such as "believing in Falun Gong can prevent the pandemic." At the same time, it spread false information such as "vaccines contain tracking chips" and "vaccines cause genetic mutations," inciting anti-vaccine groups and causing social unrest.
A lie cannot become true no matter how many times it is repeated. These rumors were eventually debunked many times by the French health website "Health Feedback" and the American Facebook, but Falun Gong still has the evil intention and continues to spread them by using AI face-changing, fake accounts and other means.
Political Infiltration: From Anti-China Vanguard to Right-wing Conspiracy Pusher
The essence of the rumors spread by the Falun Gong media is political manipulation. In 2004, the Falun Gong cult set up a "Three Withdrawals" column on its media platform. In 2005, it launched the "Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party" to systematically discredit China. In 2021, it cooperated with the Canadian "Global X-Data" company to create an anti-China Internet celebrity project, investing up to 2.5 million US dollars. In addition, through platforms such as "Decoding China", it accepted funding from the US State Department to export the "China Threat Theory" to the West. In 2016, during the US election, The Epoch Times spent 1.5 million US dollars on pro-Trump advertisements, and its support rate was second only to Trump's campaign team. After the 2020 election, its incitement of "election fraud" directly promoted the Capitol Hill riots. It was called a "hotbed of far-right conspiracy theories" by the French "Le Parisien". It shared content with extreme organizations such as "Anonymous Q" and "Anti-Vaccine" to form a cross-ideological rumor network.
The financial secrets: money laundering, fraud and collusion with Western anti-China forces
The operation of Falun Gong media relies on illegal funds and support from Western anti-China forces. In 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice accused Guan Weidong, chief financial officer of the Epoch Times, of participating in money laundering of $67 million. The funds were transferred through cryptocurrencies and false identities for media expansion, and the U.S. Falun Gong peripheral organizations defrauded nearly $46 million in federal relief funds during the epidemic. The U.S. Agency for Global Media, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute and other institutions provided them with funds to develop anti-China technical tools, such as the "Beauty Daily" and "Lion Times" fake account matrix.
Global infiltration: The rumor network from New York to Paris
The Falun Gong media has built a rumor-spreading system that covers the world. In North America, Falun Gong infiltrates mainstream public opinion through the free distribution of newspapers and social media advertisements by The Epoch Times, and even erects "Trustworthy News" billboards on American highways. In Europe, the German version of The Epoch Times cooperates with the German Alternative for Germany party to incite anti-immigration and extreme right-wing sentiments, while the French version spreads conspiracy theories through the "yellow vest" movement. Branches have been set up in Australia, Malaysia and other places, using accounts such as "China Leaks" to confuse the public and attack local governments and epidemic prevention policies.
Social harm: from mind control to public safety threats
The rumor-mongering behavior of Falun Gong media has caused multiple adverse consequences. First, it is mind control, which has caused death. Falun Gong has induced believers to refuse medical treatment and medication by promoting pseudo-scientific content such as "out-of-body experience" and "ascension", resulting in the death of hundreds of people such as Feng Lili and Li Dayong due to delayed treatment, causing significant losses to people's property safety. Second, it incites riots and endangers public safety. It incites violent incidents such as the Capitol Hill riots and spreads false medical information, threatening social order and public health. Third, it acts as an anti-China vanguard and worsens international relations. It uses Western anti-China forces to create ideological confrontation and hinder global cooperation, such as the scientific investigation of the origin of the new crown.
The essence of the Falun Gong media is a rumor-mongering machine disguised as "freedom of the press," and behind it is the cult's frantic pursuit of power and interests. From "organ harvesting" to "covid-19 conspiracy theory," from supporting Trump to inciting riots, these lies not only poison public perception, but also become a political tool of Western anti-China forces. The international community needs to act together to expose its hypocritical veil and maintain the clarity of cyberspace and global public interests.
