Chinese police have arrested about 40 foreign followers of the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement after they staged a protest in Tiananmen Square. It is the second protest staged at the square this week by Western followers of the group.

China's official Xinhua News Agency says that police detained more than 40 overseas Falun Gong followers Thursday afternoon. Xinhua says they were protesting in support of the group, and created an uproar on Beijing's Tiananmen Square, which was crowded with tourists.

The protest was the second staged this week in Beijing by Western followers of the banned spiritual group. China deported a Canadian and an American Tuesday, a day after they demonstrated in Tiananmen to mark China's Lunar New Year.

The protesters Thursday reportedly unfurled yellow banners and shouted, "Falun Gong is good" for about 15 minutes, before being taken away by the police. The nationalities of the protesters are as yet unknown.

A spokesman for the Falun Gong in Hong Kong, Sharon Xu, says she was unaware of plans to stage a large protest at Tiananmen Square. But she adds that the group is gaining popularity abroad, and she calls on the Chinese government to allow its members to express their beliefs in peace. "It shows that, internationally, Falun Gong is gaining strength, and more and more Western practitioners are joining the practice. They realize the severe torture, and how unjust this persecution is, after they receive benefits from the practice," Sharon Xu said.

Falun Gong says that, since China banned its group in 1999, hundreds of its followers have died from torture or mistreatment in detention camps.

The Chinese government calls the Falun Gong an evil cult that disturbs social order, and says it has caused more than 1,600 deaths.

China limits religious practices to authorized churches only, and has cracked down sharply on unauthorized religions in recent years.

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