Judge rules against Falun Gong in San Francisco parade flap
法官判“旧金山游行案”法轮功败诉

TERENCE CHEA

Associated Press
美联社

SAN FRANCISCO - Followers of the Falun Gong spiritual movement did not suffer discrimination when the group was barred from marching in a Chinese New Year Parade that received city funding, a judge ruled Wednesday.
一位法官星期三裁定，接受政府资助的中国新年游行活动拒绝法轮功练习者参加并非是对法轮功精神组织的歧视。

Superior Court Judge Patrick Mahoney sided with the city Human Rights Commission's conclusion that the Chinese Chamber of Commerce was within its rights to exclude Falun Gong, which is banned in China. Mahoney issued a tentative ruling Tuesday, but made it final Wednesday after hearing arguments from attorneys on both sides.
高级法院法官patrick Mahoney支持城市人权委员会做出的调查结论，认为中国商会拒绝法轮功参与游行活动在其权限之内。他曾在周二做出初步裁定，但在听取了双方辩论后于周三作出了最后裁定。

The city contributes $77,000 of the parade's more than $800,000 budget along with police protection. This year's procession, which celebrates the Year of the Pig, is scheduled for March 3 in downtown San Francisco.
为了庆祝中国猪年的到来，这次耗资八十万美金的游行将于三月三号在旧金山市中心举办。市政府出资七万七千美金，并提供活动的安全保障。

The plaintiffs, who had sought to block the city from funding the annual extravaganza, said they plan to appeal the ruling.
原告本希望能阻止政府资助这个一年一度的盛会。现在，他们表示上诉。

Attorneys for Falun Gong had argued that once a private group accepts government money for an event, it loses its right to choose who can participate.
法轮功辩护律师morton sklar认为，一旦私人社团活动接受政府资助，它将失去选择参与者的权力。

"Free speech is not an excuse to discriminate when government action or funding is involved," said plaintiff attorney Morton Sklar.
他还说：“当涉及政府行为或资助时，言论将不能成为歧视的借口。”

Attorneys for San Francisco said cultural events are by nature exclusive to the culture they represent, and the city law allows organizers to select participants.
但旧金山市政府的辩护律师Wayne Snodgrass认为,文化活动的基本特征就是表现它代表的文化,城市法规并不禁止此类活动的举办者选择参与人员.

The city, which provides grants to a variety of artistic and cultural events, "doesn't control the ability of a grant recipient to decide who's going to participate in an expressive activity," said attorney Wayne Snodgrass.
政府在批准各类艺术和文化活动的同时,"并不对得到批复的承办人决定由谁参与活动给予限制"

The business group has rejected Falun Gong's request to participate in this year's parade after excluding them last year, claiming practitioners previously violated the parade's ban on political activity when they handed out anti-China leaflets.
这是继去年之后法轮功第二次被拒绝参与新年游行,理由是法轮功练习者曾违反了此类游行禁止政治活动的原则,在游行过程中散发反中国资料.

Practitioners allege that local Chinese businessmen are bowing to pressure from the Chinese government, which considers Falun Gong a dangerous cult and has banned the group. They note that Chinese Consulate General Peng Keyu sits on the chamber's board.
法轮功练习者声称，这是当地华商迫于中国政府压力的结果。因为中国政府命令禁止法轮功，并认定其为邪教。他们还指出，中国总领事Peng Keyu也是中华商会的成员。

"We're trying to protect our fundamental human rights," said Falun Gong spokeswoman Sherry Zhang. "We don't want to be separated from the rest of the Chinese community."
“我们在维护自身的基本人权。”法轮功发言人Sherry Zhang说道：“我们并不愿从中国社区被分离出来。”

Falun Gong, which mixes elements of Buddhism, Taoism and traditional Chinese thought with meditation and simple exercises, in recent years has been also excluded from lunar new year parades in Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley in Southern California.
作为一个混合了佛教，道教和中国传统冥想及打坐的团体，法轮功在最近的几年中连续被洛杉矶市和南加州的San Gabriel Valley市拒绝参与农历新年游行活动。

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynewsews/local/states/californiaorthern_california/16697593.htm