TVNZ: Victory parade for Falun Gong

http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/536641/1453201

Spiritual group Falun Gong has won a battle to get into the spirit of Christmas.

After years of being banned from Wellington's Santa Parade the council lifted its ban and the group got late permission to join in.

"We're very happy today were very happy the council made the right decision," says Falun Gong member Joan Zhang.

Now they're challenging Auckland to lift a similar ban for next week's annual spectacle.

"I'm confident that we will be able to go in the Auckland one especially when they see that in the Wellington one we're not giving out flyers. It's just us here today," says Falon Gong member Kathryn Shakespear.

But the Auckland Chamber of Commerce is not convinced. They say Falun Gong's still banned from its parade because the Chinese group would not confirm it won't use the parade for political purposes.

Organisers of the parade have long said that the group's anti-Chinese government propaganda's not welcome.

While the group say they are not political in Wellington, processions drummed up a lot of touchy talk as they are still persecuted in China.

The group is still taking legal action over its exclusion from other street parades saying it breaches the Bill of Rights.

That case will be heard next year.