Eyewitnesses say at least 100 members of the group were dragged away by police as they attempted to unfurl banners and shout slogans. This latest protest by Falun Gong comes despite a massive police operation to try and prevent members of the banned group from entering Beijing.
Eyewitnesses say the protest appeared to be well organised.
As if on cue, small groups of followers, dotted across the vast square, unfurled banners and began chanting slogans. In a frenzied response, teams of police pounced on the protestors often knocking them to the ground before dragging them away. The protest came shortly before visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin was due to tour the square. It also comes just days before the first anniversary of the government order banning Falun Gong as an evil cult. In the run-up to that anniversary, authorities have gone to great lengths to prevent any new protests.