Hey everyone, welcome to Zooming In and I’m Simone Gao. In today’s episode, I want to talk about something that has been unfolding recently—something important. It’s about Falun Gong and a report that The Epoch Times published. I’ll break down what happened, explain why it matters, and share my thoughts on why I believe this is bigger than it seems.
So, on February 9, the English edition of The Epoch Times published an article titled: Thousands of Fake Accounts Spreading New York Times’ Attack on Shen Yun Removed by X.
The core claim of the article? That over the past month, X deleted thousands of accounts suspected of being tied to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). According to The Epoch Times, these accounts were spreading a New York Times article critical of Falun Gong. They also cited cybersecurity experts who said this appeared to be an organized bot attack orchestrated by the CCP.
Their argument was that most of these accounts had zero or very few followers and exhibited signs of inauthentic behavior. After receiving a report from The Epoch Times, X investigated and subsequently suspended or restricted most of these accounts.
This report confirmed one thing: the recent mass deletion of former Falun Gong practitioner accounts on X was actually the result of a complaint by The Epoch Times, the Falun Gong media.
In this episode, I would like to set the record straight: The Epoch Times has not been honest about this operation. They took some partial truths and turned them into a massive deception. They took a real fact-that CCP-affiliated accounts were apparently spreading New York Times articles-but then twisted that fact to mislead X into classifying former Falun Gong practitioners as part of the CCP’s bot network. The result? Many real people-people who spoke out about Falun Gong’s internal problems-were banned.
And then, The Epoch Times used that outcome to generate more media hype. This is unethical, manipulative, and harmful—not just to the people affected, but also to journalism and society as a whole.
Let’s break this down.
The Partial Truths in The Epoch Times Report
First, I want to be clear: some parts of their article are true.
Yes, it does seem that CCP-controlled fake accounts were spreading the New York Times articles. These articles, if you’re not familiar, revealed allegations such as Falun Gong had subjected underage performers to psychological and physical abuse and was involved in suspected human trafficking. The CCP’s propaganda machine always tries to use everything it can, including Falun Gong’s real scandals, to attack Falun Gong, so this is not surprising.
But here’s the critical part:
The CCP-linked bot accounts that The Epoch Times talked about?
Those were NOT the accounts they actually reported to X.
“The Epoch Times did not report CCP bot accounts. They reported former Falun Gong practitioners.”
Instead, they reported about 100 specific accounts—accounts they claimed were randomly selected and manually reviewed for “inauthentic behavior.” X then suspended or restricted about 75% of these accounts.
But were these accounts truly “randomly selected”? Were they really fake? And most importantly, were they all CCP controlled?
No. Absolutely not.
Vast majority of the former Falun Gong practitioners I know had their accounts suspended. These were real people, with real followings, posting real content. Based on my rough count, at least 30 former practitioners I know personally were affected—and that number is probably much bigger.
There are only a few accounts of former Falun Gong practitioners that weren’t banned, such as mine, Shen Yun whistleblower Yu Chao’s, and former Shen Yun performer Jeff Sun’s. Why? Because we use our real names, real photos, and post extensively documented content.
But for those who used pseudonyms or didn’t put their real faces on their profiles? They have been targeted even though they are real people’s accounts with authentic activities. These accounts post many first-hand accounts of the inner workings of the Falun Gong organization, and they also share and comment on each other’s posts.
In my last episode about Falun Gong, I mentioned that Olivia, the wife of a former senior editor of Minghui.org, Falun Gong’s official website, revealed on X that Minghui’s editor-in-chief, Meng Siwei, stated during an editorial meeting that Falun Gong had sent the passport information of overseas practitioners it had collected to Beijing and had encouraged Chinese practitioners to sue Xi Jinping’s political enemy, Jiang Zemin, using their real names.
As a result, tens of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners in China were arrested.
Meng reportedly said, “We needed to do something for Xi Jinping.”
These revelations did not come from so-called CCP spies. They came from longtime Falun Gong practitioners—individuals who had worked diligently within the organization for decades for free until they finally realized that Falun Gong is not what it claims to be.
The exposure of these scandals poses a major threat to Falun Gong. It could trigger an investigation by the U.S. government and create serious internal turmoil within the organization. This is what Falun Gong leader Li Hongzhi fears the most.
I believe The Epoch Times carefully identified these accounts and reported them to X as bots or accounts controlled by the CCP. Olivia’s account, unfortunately, was among those banned by X.
The Epoch Times report also quoted cybersecurity expert Casey Fleming, who stated:
“These are so-called ‘anchor accounts,’ and their purpose is to make their persecution and intimidation actions credible.”
He further claimed:
“Usually, the person operating such accounts is a Chinese military officer or agent.”
“These accounts often interact with each other, reply to, and share each other’s posts.”
I don’t know if The Epoch Times cited this so-called expert when filing a complaint to X.
If they did, it means that former Falun Gong practitioners’ accounts were falsely labeled as ‘anchor accounts’ controlled by the Chinese military or agents. This is totally wrong.
What X Got Wrong
Now, let’s talk about X’s role in this.
X banned these accounts on the grounds that they were “not real people.” But as far as I know, when some users appealed, offering to provide proof of their identities, X rejected their appeals outright—sometimes within a single minute and insisted they are inauthentic accounts
A one-minute response time? That strongly suggests X was using automated systems, not real human review.
So, was this just an oversight by X? Or was there more to it? That’s something that needs to be investigated.
CCP as Scapegoat?
There’s a pattern I’ve noticed—whenever internal scandals within Falun Gong come to light, the organization immediately frames them as an elaborate CCP scheme.
It’s always: “This is part of a grand CCP operation. The Chinese Communist Party is behind these attacks on Falun Gong.”
And today, I want to challenge that narrative.
I also want to call for a full U.S. government investigation into Falun Gong’s reports of these so-called attacks.
And there’s more. If the CCP’s real goal was to eliminate Falun Gong overseas, then why do so many of the “attacks” Falun Gong attributes to the CCP actually end up helping Falun Gong instead?
Let’s break this down.
Falun Gong’s Victim Narrative
As more and more scandals emerge about Falun Gong, they’re doubling down on reasserting their victim status.
Instead of addressing real allegations against them, they redirect everything back to CCP persecution.
This is a PR strategy. And it works.
Two months ago, I made an episode where I exposed how Falun Gong falsely labeled a group of us former Falun Gong practitioners who had exposed the inner workings of Falun Gong and Shen Yun’s mistreatment of minors—as CCP agents.
The link to that episode is in the upper right corner and in the description below. Check it out.
Besides falsely labeling people as CCP agents, Falun Gong likely is taking advantage of the current US China relations to benefit itself too.
We all know that American society today is deeply divided.
Yet the one thing both political parties agree on is their opposition to the CCP.
In this political climate, if Falun Gong claims that it is being targeted by the Chinese government on U.S. soil, it automatically gains public and political support—without much scrutiny.
And Beijing knows this.
The CCP’s united front strategy has become increasingly sophisticated over the years. So ask yourself:
Would the CCP really go out of its way to give Falun Gong a PR victory?
Because that’s exactly what’s happening.
The Shen Yun Bomb Threats – A Convenient Crisis?
Let’s talk about a specific example:
Falun Gong recently claimed that Shen Yun performances worldwide were targeted with bomb threats.
Sounds serious, right?
But after an investigation, every single one of these threats turned out to be hoaxes.
Yet Shen Yun’s response?
“The CCP is behind this.”
But here’s the problem:
If the CCP really orchestrated these bomb threats, then what they actually did was give Shen Yun global publicity—completely for free.
Think about what happened after these so-called bomb threats:
U.S. Congress members publicly condemned the CCP and expressed support for Shen Yun.
Major U.S. media outlets covered the threats, bringing more attention to Shen Yun.
Not a single Shen Yun performance was canceled.
So, what exactly did the CCP achieve by doing this?
Absolutely nothing.
Meanwhile, Falun Gong got more media coverage, more public sympathy, and more political support.
That’s a big win for them.
Now, let’s compare this to how the CCP actually interfered with Shen Yun in the past.
Previously, the primary method of disrupting Shen Yun wasn’t bomb threats—it was Chinese consulates pressuring theaters not to host their performances.
They would send letters to theaters, saying things like:
“If you allow Shen Yun to perform, it will damage U.S.-China relations.”
And that strategy? It actually hurt Shen Yun’s ability to perform in certain places.
But this year?
No reports of consulates pressuring theaters. Nothing.
Instead, we have…
Mysterious bomb threats that led to more support for Shen Yun.
That doesn’t add up.
Who’s Really Behind These Attacks?
Now, let me be clear—I am not saying I have definitive proof that the CCP did not stage these threats.
But I am saying this:
There is also no evidence linking the CCP to these threats.
And there is no logical reason for the CCP to help Falun Gong gain sympathy.
Yet, The Epoch Times confidently blamed the CCP.
Their logic?
📝 “These threats were written in Chinese.”
📝 “The CCP is ramping up efforts to ‘eliminate’ Shen Yun and Falun Gong globally.”
Therefore?
✖️ “It must be the CCP.”
That is not evidence.
That is a weak assumption being sold as fact.
The Bigger Picture
At the end of the day, the real issue here isn’t just about some banned accounts. It’s about how The Epoch Times—a media outlet that claims to stand for truth—used partial truths to tell a massive lie.
They took a real issue—CCP bots—and used it as cover to silence former practitioners who were exposing Falun Gong’s inner workings.
And the worst part? They wrapped this whole thing in anti-CCP rhetoric, making themselves look like victims and defenders of free speech—while actively working to shut down free speech from within their own ranks.
That’s not just dishonest. It’s deeply unethical.
When The Epoch Times spreads misinformation, it doesn’t just hurt its critics.
It hurts readers.
It hurts society.
And it even hurts the journalist writing these articles.
This article was written by Petr Svab, a Falun Gong practitioner who has built a pattern of using partial truths to construct misleading narratives.
One example? His article about former Shen Yun performer Eugene Liu “defecting.”
According to Svab’s report, Eugene was interviewed by The New York Times, but after the article was published, he allegedly turned around and told The Epoch Times that The New York Times had seriously distorted his words.
Then, Eugene posted a series of tweets on X, describing positive experiences in Shen Yun—and Svab used those tweets as proof that The New York Times had misrepresented the facts.
But here’s what Svab conveniently left out:
Yes, Eugene posted those tweets. But not because he believed The New York Times had distorted his words.
The real reason? His mother.
Eugene’s mother is a devout Falun Gong practitioner, and after his interview with The New York Times, she was furious. She pressured him—demanding that he “fix the situation.”
Wanting to maintain his relationship with his mother, Eugene did what she wanted—he posted those positive remarks about Shen Yun on X.
That was it. That was his only motivation.
Now, I don’t know if Eugene was under the same kind of pressure when he gave his interview to The Epoch Times.
But according to Eugene, Svab deliberately framed his questions in a way that would get the answers he wanted. And used Eugene’s words out of context to craft a narrative that fit The Epoch Times’ agenda.
And here’s what’s even worse:
Svab knew that Eugene was being pressured by his mother. Eugene told him.
Yet, Svab completely omitted this fact from his article—and told a false story of the New York Times misrepresented former Shen Yun performers.
Now, why does this matter?
Because Petr Svab is not just any journalist. He is a Falun Gong practitioner—someone practicing Falun Gong’s highest principles: Truth, Compassion, and Tolerance.
But what he’s doing—this deliberate twisting of reality—completely go against those principles.
The Bigger Picture: Falun Gong’s Spiritual Deception
Falun Gong is facing serious allegations of illegal activities.
🔹 The Epoch Times’ former chief financial officer, Guan Weidong, has been indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice for alleged money laundering and bank fraud on behalf of the organization.
🔹 Shen Yun is under federal investigation in the U.S. for potential criminal activity.
But beyond the legal and financial scandals, there is also a concerning issue on a spiritual level—a possible spiritual deception. While legal systems might not punish this, and the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution even protects it as religious freedom, the harm it causes is real.
Let’s take a step back and ask an important question:
What if Falun Gong’s core teachings are false?
What if…
❌ Li Hongzhi is NOT the Creator of the universe, who also created God, Jesus, and Shakyamuni Buddha?
❌ Falun Gong is NOT the highest fundamental law of the universe, superior to Christianity, Buddhism, and all other religions?
❌ Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Jesus, and God are NOT trapped in Li Hongzhi’s so-called “Cosmic Rectification”, powerless to protect their followers anymore?
❌ Li Hongzhi is NOT the one true God overseeing all religious believers?
If any of these claims are false, then what Falun Gong has been preaching for decades is nothing more than a false gospel. And this is exactly the message that Shen Yun has been spreading to the world.
If you watch every single Shen Yun performance, you’ll notice a pattern: The main theme of the show is carried out through a series of dance numbers and song performances that vary little from year to year. That theme is:
🌀 Li Hongzhi is the Creator.
🌀 He led divine beings (who later became Falun Gong practitioners) to descend to Earth to “rectify” the law of the universe.
🌀 These divine beings created all human civilizations.
🌀 The world’s ultimate catastrophe was caused by the CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong.
🌀 At the critical moment, Li Hongzhi will emerge with divine power to save the world.
🌀 Only those who abandon the CCP and recognize that Falun Dafa is the cosmic truth will be saved and enter the new universe.
That’s the message Shen Yun is selling.
If this message is indeed a false gospel, the harm it has caused is immense. Countless Falun Gong practitioners, especially the ones in China have sacrificed their families, their youth, and even their lives for this belief, losing the opportunity for true spiritual growth. While the CCP’s human rights violations are indeed a crime, should a significant portion of this immense suffering also be attributed to the spiritual deception perpetrated by Falun Gong’s founder – Li Hongzhi?
I hope this suffering ends soon.