Posted on 04/21/2006 12:39:37 PM PDT by Jack Black
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A heckler from the Falun Gong spiritual movement who disrupted a White House appearance by Chinese President Hu Jintao was charged in federal court on Friday with harassing, intimidating or threatening a foreign official.
A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office in Washington said the misdemeanor charge carries a penalty of up to six months in jail.
The woman, who entered the White House grounds as a reporter, interrupted a formal arrival ceremony between Hu and President George W. Bush on Thursday and shouted: "President Hu, your days are numbered. President Bush, make him stop persecuting Falun Gong."
The embarrassing episode marred the South Lawn event and created a diplomatic stir. Bush personally apologized to Hu for the incident.
U.S. officials identified the woman as Wang Wenyi, 47, a reporter with The Epoch Times, an English-language publication strongly supportive of the meditation movement that is banned in China.
Spokesman Channing Phillips said she was arrested by the U.S. Secret Service and that the U.S. Attorney's office decided to proceed by filing the federal charge in court.
The law at issue bars harassing, intimidating or threatening a foreign official in the performance of their official duties.
When she was arrested, the heckler was charged with disorderly conduct. The spokesman said that charge, under local law, could be brought later.
47 is old?
Too bad she didn't pull a bloody pigs heart out of a plastic bag, heave it at the bastard and label him smack in the face. Now that would have ruined his day.
I hope you are not serious.
Oh, puh-leeze. The US government has for years kowtowed to Chinese interests. Too much money to be made there. Who cares if a few hundred political prisoners are executed and their organs harvested for transplants?
I look at the outrage over Terri Schiavo, and what China is doing far exceeds the moral depravity of what happened to Terri. They are killing healthy political dissidents for organs. And Hu should be heckled from the moment he sets foot in this country to the moment the bloody despot leaves.
Domo arigato,
George Bush roboto
I can and I do. The point wasn't about Falun Gong or Al Qaeda. It was about whether someone shouting to a President that "his days are numbered" would be construed as a threat.
Didn't you get the memo?
Everyone is a racist EXCEPT Cynthia McKinney because she is black!
It's a vast white conspiracy to get her!
Duh.
Of course they did. It's evident that Western culture is so degenerate these days that the only thing in "bad taste" is to remind a butcher and tyrant of the evil that he has inflict upon his fellows.
The reaction of the news media and the Left is sickening.
Well thanks for your opinion. I don't share it and neither does our government.
Did you used to work for Colin Powell?
Something like this, maybe? 'This is what happens when you visit America. Tough crap if you're offended and now you don't want to work with us to resolve our differences of opinion.' Yup, I'm sure that would help us in persuading Hu to want to help with this lady's cause. Your diplomatic skills are incredible.
Actually, there has been some outrage on the left, but mostly as part of their ongoing attempts to discredit Bush over whatever happens.
But in this case, they have a point.
Yeah, like our current crop of Foggy Bottom diplomats have done such a great job promoting our interests and spreading core American values.
We need to offend more despots, not fewer.
I would not rule it out, in any case it was done
Notice they did not apologize to Hu.
Powerful post.
I agree. Notice how this is appaling to the MSM (the heckler), but the Easter Egg infiltration was not. Same thing, IMO. People using an event to make a statement. Trespassing is trespassing.
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