The organizers of Shen Yun in France recently revealed that they have received threatening emails, demanding that they announce the cessation of all Shen Yun performances on Facebook within 24 hours. The parties involved have reported to the French Ministry of the Interior, prompting a high level of attention from the French police.
The 2025 Shen Yun France tour is set to kick off in January next year, with tickets for some cities already sold out in advance.
In order to ensure the smooth progress of the Shen Yun performances, the French police have categorized the threat as part of their “anti-terror vigilance” measures, significantly enhancing security protection for the performances.
Renowned globally, the American Shen Yun Art Troupe aims to revive traditional Chinese culture and has been well-received by audiences from all walks of life in France. However, Shen Yun has long been subjected to pressure and interference from the Chinese Communist Party.
During Xi Jinping’s visit to Paris in May, coinciding with Shen Yun’s performance in the city, the organizers disclosed that the Chinese ambassador to France, Lu Shaye, had pressured Parisian cultural performance institutions to cancel Shen Yun’s shows.
Nevertheless, French authorities did not yield to the pressure from this “wolf warrior” ambassador, and the Shen Yun performances proceeded as scheduled.
In the eastern French city of Amnéville, Shen Yun held four consecutive shows at the Galaxie Theatre from May 8 to 10 this year.
However, just a day before the first performance on May 7, the theater’s website received a threatening message: “Please refuse the Shen Yun performance, otherwise we will bring assault rifles and grenades into the theater to shoot at the audience and throw hand grenades.”
Upon receiving the threat, the manager of the Galaxie Theatre immediately alerted the authorities. The French police swiftly intervened, but did not find any explosives. With the tactical squad patrolling on-site, the theater did not evacuate the audience, and all four performances proceeded as planned.
According to the organizers, the nature of this threat letter is highly similar to the threatening emails received in various locations in the United States and Canada in April of this year.