Liberal MP Judy Sgro says it’s “deeply alarming” that the Toronto performances of Shen Yun Performing Arts were cancelled because of a fake bomb threat.
The organizers say the Chinese regime is behind the threat, using it as an attempt to derail the show, and that Shen Yun, which aims to depict China before communism, has been constantly targeted by the regime.
“I must express my acute concern and unequivocal condemnation of a troubling and escalating pattern of foreign-directed intimidation occurring here on Canadian soil–acts that strike at the very core of our sovereignty,” Sgro said in a statement on April 3.
“This organization has been targeted by a coordinated campaign of threats, including false bomb threats–some of which have been traced to actors linked to the Chinese Communist Party.”
Shen Yun, a classical Chinese dance and music company based in New York, was founded in 2006 by leading Chinese artists who wished to revive China’s rich traditional culture.
The local presenter of the show, the Falun Dafa Association of Toronto (FDAT), says Shen Yun has received over 150 fake threats over the past two years in an attempt to disrupt its performances. Last year, police in Taiwan traced the threats that venues in the country received for hosting Shen Yun to an area in Xi’an, China.
On March 29, shortly before Shen Yun was about to perform at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto at 2 p.m., the theatre received a bomb threat and the audience was evacuated from the building.
The Toronto Police Service carried out an investigation and conducted security sweeps, and subsequently determined that the threat, which was sent via email, was unfounded. However, the theatre still decided not to proceed with the 2 p.m. performance.
While FDAT said they worked with the Four Seasons Centre to increase security and cover the cost of additional security measures such as K-9 unit sweeps, the theatre decided to cancel the remaining five shows from April 1 to 5.
FDAT spokesperson Joel Chipkar said cancelling the shows is “unprecedented,” and allows the Chinese Communist Party to suppress freedoms in Canada.
“Over the past two years, more than a dozen threats targeting Shen Yun across Canada, including Mississauga, Kitchener, and Vancouver, have been investigated and deemed not credible, with performances proceeding safely globally,” Chipkar said at a press conference in downtown Toronto on April 2.
Sgro referred to one such incident in her statement, where police were called to the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga, Ont., on March 15 over a fake bomb threat as Shen Yun was about to perform. The show was eventually allowed to go ahead after police confirmed there was no credible evidence of a bomb.
“These incidents are not isolated disruptions. They represent a deliberate effort to intimidate, to silence, and to interfere with lawful cultural expression in Canada,” Sgro said.
“Even more concerning are reports that these coordinated threats have extended beyond performance venues to target Parliament Hill and Canada’s national leadership–an unacceptable affront to our democratic system.”
Earlier this year, Shen Yun’s Canadian presenters received an emailed threat warning that if the show went on in Canada, Prime Minister Mark Carney would be harmed. Five other world leaders were targets of similar threats, warning against Shen Yun performing in their countries.
Sgro said Canadians should take these threats with “utmost seriousness,” and urged law enforcement agencies to thoroughly investigate the issue and take measures to “protect Canadians and uphold our sovereignty.”
A spokesperson with the RCMP referred The Epoch Times to the local police of jurisdiction. The Toronto Police Service said in an emailed statement that they’re currently investigating the issue.
Sgro said that “foreign interference, intimidation, and harassment” have no place in Canada, and that she stands with those who have been targeted.
“No artist, no organization, and no community in Canada should be made to feel unsafe because of foreign pressure or intimidation,” she said.
“Those who seek to erode these freedoms–whether through fear, coercion, or disruption–must be held accountable.”
