November 2025 Transnational Repression Update

Between Oct. 31 and Nov. 11, Falun Gong practitioners, Shen Yun Performing Arts, and their supporters in both Taiwan and the United States were hit by a new surge of threats and impersonation incidents. The campaign included bomb and shooting threats, extortion attempts, hacking claims, and identity forgeries—many delivered through online contact forms using falsified personal details.

Anonymous death threats

A concentrated series of anonymous bomb and shooting threats was directed at Falun Gong, Shen Yun’s ticketing platform and attendees, a sponsoring media outlet, U.S. federal institutions, and the general public.

• On Oct. 31, a bomb threat was submitted to a Taiwanese company through an online contact form, falsely using the name of Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai and the email address of Canadian-based Chinese dissident Sheng Xue. The sender claimed explosives had been planted at the company’s Taipei residence and demanded that the company publicly denounce Shen Yun and Falun Gong. Taiwanese police ordered an immediate evacuation and conducted a search; the threat was later confirmed to be a hoax. According to a credible source in Taiwan, the company’s leadership are Shen Yun audience members and have publicly praised its performances.

• On Nov. 1, a message submitted to Faluninfo.net impersonated a former president of the Republic of China and warned that individuals dressed as Falun Gong practitioners would bomb and open fire at the FBI headquarters and the Pentagon.

• Threats continued in Taiwan. on Nov. 3, a message impersonating the editor-in-chief of the Epoch Times website—again using Sheng Xue’s email—claimed explosives had been planted and demanded the cancellation of all Shen Yun performances. The message, sent through the Shen Yun Taiwan ticketing service’s web chat, stated:

“We have planted a large amount of explosives and do not want them to explode. Therefore, please immediately cancel next month’s Shen Yun performance, permanently terminate your cooperation with Shen Yun, and issue a statement. If we do not see a statement within 24 hours, I will detonate the explosives.”

• On Nov. 6, another forged submission—this time to the Taiwan National Police Agency, impersonating Falun Gong’s founder—claimed bombs had been placed on all international flights from Taiwan to the United States and would detonate after takeoff.

• On Nov. 11, a threat sent via the Faluninfo.net contact form warned that individuals “wearing Falun Gong costumes” would gather at U.S. airports and “suddenly shoot everyone.”

These incidents bring the total number of anonymous death threats targeting or impersonating Falun Gong since March 2024 to 198. While no actual violence occurred, the threats reflect continued attempts to intimidate and discredit Falun Gong. All incidents have been reported to law enforcement and are under investigation.

Digital threats and extortion

On Oct. 31, two identical extortion messages were submitted through the Taiwan National Police Agency’s online application system, falsely using the name of Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai and the official email address of Taiwan Epoch Times. The messages claimed in Chinese that the newspaper’s servers had been hacked, and that all data had been copied. The sender demanded USD $8 million, threatening to hand the alleged data to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) if payment was not made. The messages listed Sheng Xue’s email address as the point of contact—suggesting a coordinated operation linked to the bomb threat involving her identity earlier the same day.

The extortion attempt appeared designed to fabricate a large-scale data breach and incite fear of potential retaliation by the CCP.

Impersonation schemes

Beyond violent threats, November also saw coordinated attempts to impersonate Falun Gong’s founder and practitioners’ associations in Taiwan.

On Nov. 6, the Falun Dafa Association of Taiwan reported that individuals were falsely posing as official organizers of the 2026 Shen Yun Taiwan tour, using social media posts to recruit “assistants” and harvest personal information through a fraudulent application form.

In a formal announcement issued the same day, the Association clarified that it is the sole authorized presenter of Shen Yun’s 2026 Taiwan tour and has never publicly recruited assistants or staff—nor has it authorized any third party to do so. The Association stated that it had collected evidence, filed a police report, and would pursue civil and criminal liability for any misuse of its or Shen Yun’s name. It urged the public to rely only on the official Shen Yun and Association websites for accurate information and provided a dedicated hotline for verification, warning citizens to stay vigilant and avoid scams.

On Nov. 10, the Association received a forged handwritten letter impersonating Falun Gong’s founder—yet another effort to exploit his identity for deception and disruption.

These incidents reflect a continued and escalating pattern of harassment targeting Falun Gong, Shen Yun, and their supporters. Although all threats were ultimately determined to be hoaxes, they triggered police investigations, evacuations, and heightened security measures in both Taiwan and the United States. Each case has been documented and referred to law enforcement.