The Tiananmen Square self-immolation incident took place in Tiananmen Square in central Beijing, on the eve of Chinese New Year on 23 January 2001. The incident is disputed: Chinese government sources say that five members of Falun Gong, a spiritual practice that is persecuted in mainland China, set themselves on fire in the square. Falun Gong sources disputed the accuracy of these portrayals, noting that their teachings explicitly forbid violence or suicide. Several Western journalists and scholars also noted inconsistencies in the government's account of event, suggesting the self-immolations were staged by the government to discredit Falun Gong.