Adherents of persecuted faith group Falun Gong in Hong Kong are demanding an apology from pro-Beijing newspaper Ta Kung Pao over a series of articles they said were inciting hate and hurting the last bit of freedom in the city. Between April 20 and April 29, the outlet ran at least eight articles describing the spiritual practice as an “evil cult,” “superstition,” and “malignant tumor in society.” One article claimed that the Tianti Bookstore, which carries Falun Gong books, was “smuggling poisonous books.” In an April 29 editorial, the newspaper suggested that the Hong Kong government should outlaw the practice and called the issue a “first imperative.” Such language is “slanderous” and “incites hate toward Falun Gong” as adherents in mainland China “endured unjustified tribulation,” the Hong Kong Falun Dafa Association said in a statement on Monday. The association demanded that Ta Kung Pao “retract the articles immediately and issue …