Death Threats Target Falun Gong Events, Shen Yun, and Supporters in April

In April, Falun Gong communities and their supporters across the United States, Taiwan, Japan, France, and Mexico received a disturbing series of threats of violence and intimidation. Messages submitted via emails, live chats, and people impersonating others used contact forms—primarily written in Chinese—to warn of imminent attacks. Many were timed to disrupt April 25 commemorative events and Shen Yun Performing Arts shows. Shen Yun is a U.S-based classical Chinese dance company founded by Falun Gong practitioners.

The 17 threats received in April bring the total of violent threats targeting Falun Gong practitioners, Shen Yun, and their supporters to 134 since March 2024.

Bomb threats trigger evacuations

April 25 is of momentous importance to Falun Gong practitioners, commemorating their peaceful 1999 appeal in Beijing. Practitioners worldwide traditionally hold parades and public events on this date.

On April 25, the Global Tuidang Center—an NGO founded by Falun Gong practitioners and organizer of the April 19 rally and parade in Flushing, New York—received a bomb threat via its online contact form. The threatening message read:

 “40-46 Main Street, Suite 201 Flushing, NY 11354 [Note: the address of the Tuidang Center] Place a lot of explosives around! Don’t want the explosives to detonate, prepare 10 million US dollars before the day after tomorrow!”

The Center promptly alerted the New York Police Department (NYPD), which evacuated and searched the office building. After an hourlong search yielded no explosives, the staff was allowed to return. This incident marked the first bomb threat against the Center, according to a representative of the Center.

Just four days before, on April 21, the Flushing branch of Queens Public Library was evacuated after bomb threat emails demanded the cancellation of April 25 events commemorating the 1999 Beijing appeal. After a two-hour search, the building was declared safe and reopened. Library spokeswoman Elisabeth de Bourbon and the NYPD’s 109th Precinct confirmed that similar threats, traced to IP addresses in China, were also sent to the Global Tuidang Center, according to a news report and a representative of the Center.

Police cars surround Queens Public Library in the Flushing neighborhood of Queens in New York City on April 21, 2025. (The Epoch Times)

The Falun Dafa Information Center documented at least five bomb threats in April across Taiwan and the United States that also frequently referenced vehicular assaults and shootings and plans to livestream violent acts. These threats demonstrated a coordinated effort to instill fear and disrupt public commemorations for the Falun Gong community.

Violent threats against Shen Yun

A series of threatening and disinformation incidents targeting Shen Yun performances and its training center in upstate New York have been documented since the beginning of April. These threats, often impersonate credible sources like Faluninfo.net or The Epoch Times, include bomb threats, shooting threats, and arson aimed at disrupting Shen Yun performances across the world and instilling fear. For example, on April 2, a threatening message was submitted via the contact form on Faluninfo.net, using [email protected] as the return address. Written in Chinese, the message stated:

“We have sent people to mix ammonium nitrate and aluminum powder to make some explosives. The explosives have been placed in the Longquan Temple [Dragon Springs, Shen Yun’s training campus in upstate New York] cemetery, near the bookstore, as well as in the vegetable field, classroom, etc. If you don’t want Longquan Temple to be bombed into ruins, prepare 25 million New Taiwan dollars immediately …”

These messages frequently target Shen Yun performers, audiences, and the Dragon Springs facility, using violent imagery to intimidate.

Further threats extend to Shen Yun’s global performances, with a notable case in Guadalajara, Mexico, on April 28. A live chat message to a theater warned of explosives with remote detonation devices if Shen Yun’s show went ahead as planned. 

Notably, the April 25 events and Shen Yun’s training campus were listed together as the targets in at least three death threats in April. On April 20, two identical death threats were submitted to websites of the Falun Dafa Information Center and the Global Tuidang Center. Both messages were signed in Chinese as “Li Rui”—an impersonation of a relative of Falun Gong’s founder, Mr. Li Hongzhi—and listed [email protected] as the return address. The emails described in detail a violent plot targeting the April 25 Falun Gong parade in Flushing, NY, as well as Dragon Springs. Written in Chinese, the messages threatened:

“On April 25, a car will crash into the Falun Gong parade on Kissena Boulevard! Anyone wearing Falun Gong clothes will be shot! Homemade bombs made from a mixture of ammonium nitrate and aluminum powder will be thrown! At the same time, another team will shoot and kill the security guards at the Dragon Springs Temple, break in, shoot everyone, and set it on fire!”

The coordinated nature of these threats, spanning multiple continents indicates a deliberate campaign to intimidate Shen Yun’s operations and its cultural mission.

Disinformation and impersonation

On April 23, a theater in Lyon, France, which was hosting Shen Yun, received a defamatory email falsely claiming to be from a well-established nonprofit organization based in New York City—an organization known for its longstanding advocacy for children’s rights and its work to prevent and address child abuse and neglect.

The email spread disinformation, alleging that complaints had been filed with European Union authorities accusing the dance company of abusing minors. It also cited misleading reports from The New York Times and falsely claimed that Shen Yun was no longer allowed to perform in the United States due to ongoing investigations. However, the Lyon theater quickly recognized the email as fraudulent, noting the suspicious sender address and awkward phrasing. The message was promptly shared with the local Falun Gong community.

The Falun Dafa Information Center has documented at least three similar disinformation efforts since December 2024. Early in December, a Canadian parliamentarian supportive of Shen Yun received a suspicious email from someone claiming to be a former Shen Yun dancer. The sender referenced the same misleading New York Times articles and alleged experiences of overwork and trauma within the company. These coordinated attempts to smear Shen Yun by impersonating stakeholders and spreading false narratives highlight a pattern of targeted disinformation aimed at undermining the group’s global performances and reputation.

Threatening practitioners in Flushing NY

On April 28, a threatening message was submitted via the Falun Dafa Information Center contact form, impersonating Mr. Levi Browde, executive director of the Information Center. The message contained graphic and violent threats directed at Falun Gong practitioners and their families in Flushing, New York. It stated:

“All Flushing protesters and their family members will be hacked to death! Their children will also go missing and be found again! Their children’s body parts will be found in downtown Washington!! Their female family members will be gang-raped, have their throats cut and dumped in downtown New York City! The male family members will have a car accident and be run over! I swear to Mazu, Jesus, God, and Guanyin Bodhisattva! This! Will! Happen in the near future!”

Targeting prominent individuals

On April 27, the Global Tuidang Center received an alarming threat via its online contact form targeting Falun Gong supporters. The message warned:

“All Falun Gong members and their supporters in the United States and Taiwan, including dignitaries, celebrities and entertainers who support Falun Gong, as well as their family members, will be in danger in the near future! Shot! Kidnapped! Car accidents! Fire at their homes! Vehicles will explode! I swear to Jesus, this is not a joke!!!”

This marked one of 18 anti-Falun Gong incidents documented in April, highlighting the scale and coordination of the ongoing campaign of intimidation.

All threats have been reported to law enforcement in affected countries. While none have resulted in actual violence, the incidents have prompted heightened security measures by authorities and the Falun Gong community to ensure safety.