Practitioners of Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) around the world have held public events for more than a decade to raise awareness of the persecution in China. Meanwhile, practitioners also hold free classes and other events to introduce this ancient Chinese cultivation practice to the public.
In this newsletter, we report on practitioners’ events in eight cities across the world over the last several weeks.
Munich, Germany
Last weekend, more than a thousand practitioners from multiple European countries held a cultivation sharing experience conference in Munich. In addition to the conference, practitioners held a series of activities in the city, raising public awareness about the brutal persecution of Falun Dafa in China.
Anatoly and Ivana, a married couple from Latvia, started practicing Falun Gong in 1998. Anatoly has made great efforts with local practitioners to tell the Latvian government officials and policemen about the persecution and holds protests in front of the Chinese embassy.
One of the largest national newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung (German for South German Newspaper) covered the practitioners’ event in an article on November 4, and published a story on the state-sanctioned forced organ harvesting of prisoners of conscience in China.
Heidelberg, Germany
Two weeks before the conference, local practitioners held an activity in downtown Heidelberg, Germany, focusing on exposing the state-sanctioned organ harvesting in China, and collecting signatures against the atrocity.
Paris, France
Almost every weekend, practitioners in Paris come to Human Rights Plaza in front of the Eiffel Tower, to introduce Falun Gong and ask for help to bring an end to the persecution in China. The following pictures were taken at such an event on October 30.
New York City, USA
The Falun Dafa Student Club at Columbia University in New York City held a photo exhibition on campus from October 17 to 20, introducing Falun Gong to students and faculty and exposing the persecution of the practice in China.
Since its founding in 1999, the club has held similar exhibitions every year. In recent years club members have noted that more and more Chinese students are willing to learn about Falun Gong and more are open to hearing about the persecution.
This year, many Chinese students stopped by the exhibition, and many took photos. Some students from China even had the courage to sign the petition condemning the persecution. Several students talked to practitioners for a long time and asked many questions.
One Chinese staff member said to practitioners: “This is a great activity. We have so many Chinese students here. They deserve to know the truth. Many of their parents are high-ranking officials in China. Once these students learn the truth, they will tell their parents.”
Hiroshima, Japan
On October 30, practitioners participated in the Peace & Love Hiroshima International Festival. They demonstrated the exercises and collected signatures calling for an end to the persecution of Falun Gong in China.
Waseda, Japan
The Tian Guo Marching Band, consisting of Falun Gong practitioners, was invited to perform at the Waseda Festival hosted by Waseda University from November 3 to 5.
Chiayi, Taiwan
Practitioners in Chiayi held a free health workshop for the citizens of Mintsuli Town on October 30, teaching the exercises and introducing the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.
More than 30 people came to the workshop. Almost everybody joined in learning the exercises. The mayor of the town, Mr. Liu said, “Today I finally see the beauty of Falun Gong. It is so great!”
Practitioners have already visited four nearby towns, and their free health workshop has been warmly welcomed everywhere they have gone.
(Clearwisdom)