Immolation on Tiananmen

By the end of 2000—a year and a half after the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched the suppression of Falun Gong—the campaign had failed to garner support among many of the CCP’s rank and file. Then-CCP leader Jiang Zemin had toured southern provinces earlier in 2000 hoping to shore up more endorsement for the campaign among local leaders. Meanwhile, public support more broadly had waned. On January 23, 2001, five individuals allegedly set themselves on fire in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. The entire scene was caught on camera from multiple angles. Within hours, state-controlled media was flooded with reports that the self-immolators were Falun Gong practitioners. These reports included grisly footage of the victims, portraying Falun Gong teachings as directly responsible for the tragedy.