The threat comes the day after a massive parade and rally in New York’s Flushing neighborhood.
NEW YORK CITY – On April 20, New York libraries in New York were threatened with a parade hosted by a Falun Gong practitioner.
The global Tuidang Center, organizer of Saturday’s parade, received similar emails around the same time. The sender claimed he would drive to the parade participants while sending another group of attackers to Dragon Springs, home to New York-based art group Shen Yun Performing Arts.
The email appears to incorrectly assume that there will be a parade on April 25th, the actual anniversary of the 1999 rally.
Parade organizers said they believe the size of Saturday’s event attracted the sender’s attention and encouraged action.
Queens Public Library spokesperson Elizabeth de Bourbon told the Epoch Times, where the library learned about the threat on Monday, evacuating the library building in Flushing, known for China’s large population. She said they “thank you to the staff who remained experts and calm throughout the incident.”
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Library main street brunch lolSeveral other branches not on the April 19 parade route were also threatened as endpoints for the Falun Gong Parade.
A police car and ambulance arrived at the property on the morning of April 21st and temporarily blocked the road for investigation. They ultimately decided to safely the library and made it public just before noon after about two hours delay.
On Monday morning, Flash Councillor Sandra Urni, who was in touch with the police at School 109 and Queens Public Library officials and offices, thanked law enforcement for their prompt response.
“There is no place in our city that is intended to suppress the threat of violence, particularly the freedom of speech, or exercise the right to gather individuals peacefully,” Councillor Sandra Urni told the Epoch Times. She said, “Flashing is one of the most diverse communities in the country, and its diversity is our strength.”
“No one feels unsafe or unwelcome to celebrate a cultural, spiritual or political identity,” she said.
Martha Flores Vazquez, leader of Flushing in the New York State Legislature District, said the incident would increase the importance of protecting this diaspora.
“It’s a scary tactic, but we need to take it seriously and protect the good citizens of New York City,” she told The Epoch Times. “It’s scary that they’ve gone this far and it’s harmful to the world, so I think we need to use our intelligence to do everything possible to capture and model who is behaving this way.”
Martha Flores Vazquez, leader of Flushing in the New York State Legislature District, will speak at the Falun Gong Rally in Flushing, New York on April 19, 2025. Mark Elephant/Epoch Times
Threat Mail is similar to recent threatening campaigns targeting Shen Yun. This also draws attention to China’s abuse of Falun Gong in its performance.
Falun Gong practitioners are taking part in a parade on April 19, 2025 in Flushing, New York, to end the persecution in China. Zhang Jingyi/The Epoch Times
Flores Vazquez attended the parade on April 19th and spoke at a subsequent rally, telling the audience “standing together.” She, like those present there, stayed for hours on evening vigils, embracing lotus flowers, reminding people who were killed in China for their beliefs.
The Chinese Communist Party “doesn’t the worst,” she said. She added that the email threat campaign “we have to take it seriously.”
“There must be a higher level of government involved,” she said.
One of the event organizers, Michael Yu said that stopping the parade would fit the administration’s goals as events like this will help expose the administration’s misdeeds.
“Evil is always afraid of the light,” he told The Epoch Times.
In a statement, the FBI said in the Epoch era that the agency could not confirm or deny the implementation of any particular investigation, and referred to the NYPD.
The New York Police Department did not respond to Epoch Times’ request for comment.
Linda Lin contributed to this report.
