(Minghui.org) Falun Dafa practitioners held a parade in downtown Toronto at noon on Saturday, August 19, 2023 to support the 417 million Chinese people who have withdrawn from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its youth organisations. The parade began at Clarence Park and wound through the streets of Chinatown.
According to statistics from the Global Service Centre for Quitting the CCP, as of August 19, 2023, 417,606,280 people have renounced their memberships in the CCP and its affiliated organisations. During the parade, several Chinese decided to reject the CCP and quit their memberships on the spot after realising the terrible crimes against humanity committed by the regime.
It was a bright, sunny day. The grand parade was made up six sections:
(1) The Tian Guo Marching Band
(2) Falun Dafa Is Good
(3) the exercise team
(4) Protest against the persecution in China
(5) Waist drum team
(6) the Quitting the CCP contingent.
Many people stopped to watch and took photos and video recordings. The drivers of passing cars honked their horns to show their support. Many Chinese people shouted “Falun Dafa is good!” Some spectators who were standing along the road admiring the parade exclaimed, “This is such a long parade! All of them are Falun Dafa practitioners. So many people practice Falun Dafa!”
Chinese People Quit the CCP
Mr. Su from Guangdong Province, China stopped and watched the parade. He struck up a conversation with a practitioner and told him he had joined the Young Pioneers, one of the CCP’s youth organisations, when he was in China. He agreed to renounce his membership using his real name after the practitioner explained to him the importance of quitting.
A Chinese couple talked with a practitioner while they watched the parade. The practitioner told them that Falun Dafa is good, unlike the propaganda spread by the CCP. The woman said, “We are Christians.” The practitioner explained, “It does not matter which belief you have, the CCP promotes atheism. It not only persecutes Falun Dafa, it is also suppressing other groups with a belief.” The woman said, “You are right.” The couple agreed to renounce their memberships in the Youth League and the Young Pioneers.
Those Who Quit the CCP are Very Brave
Richard, a software development engineer, and his wife Julia are from the Czech Republic. Richard said when he lived in the Czech Republic, he spoke to local practitioners and learned that Falun Dafa is practiced by people in over 100 countries, and that the brutal suppression targets practitioners in China.
When a practitioner told him the parade was celebrating 417 million people who withdrew from the CCP, Richard said, “Chinese people are forced to join the Party. Therefore, they should be free to choose to withdraw from it.”
Julia, his wife said, “Those who chose to quit the CCP are very brave!”
Keen to Learn the Exercises
That morning, practitioners did the exercises in Clarence Park before the start of the parade. Taranjot Singh asked if he could learn how to do the exercises.
Taranjot, who is from India, told practitioners about the culture in his hometown, “Traditional Indian culture believes in gods and buddhas. Through meditation, self reflection, and letting go of self, resentment, and joy, we choose to be kind, humble people.”
He continued, “I saw practitioners looking so peaceful doing the exercises under the bright blue sky and asked to learn how to do it. I felt calm while doing the exercises, and there was a positive energy field that made me feel comfortable. I also felt something in my body. I believe one is able to absorb energy from the universe through exercises like Falun Dafa. I think this is a gift to humans from the gods, and it comes from ancient wisdom. I want to say this should be spread to all parts of the world and people from all races should come and learn it.”
He condemned the persecution in China, and said, “People should work together to oppose this evil and brutal regime. Innocent people should not be stripped of their basic human rights, or be incarcerated and tortured.”
People Wish to Help End the Persecution
Mizhar learned of the CCP’s organ harvesting from illegally detained Falun Dafa practitioners through watching the parade and reading the information distributed by practitioners.
He said, “If these organs are not donated but taken by force, such deeds are evil. The CCP has taken away the rights of people. I have many friends on social media, and I will share this information with them.”
Practitioners are Brave
Yulia from Mexico has lived in Toronto for four years. She said after seeing the practitioners demonstrate the five sets of exercises in the parade, “I think this practice can increase people’s brain power.”
She praised the practitioners and said, “You are very brave. Although you live overseas, you still think of your compatriots in China and care about their plight. I may be of a different racial background but I am grateful to you for spreading the truth about the persecution. You must persevere!”
Shocked by Persecution of Falun Dafa
Jean Bernard said after learning that the CCP was persecuting practitioners, “Why is the regime persecuting this practice? I think Falun Dafa is a traditional, righteous, cultivation practice. Hundreds of thousands of people practice Falun Dafa, so they must think it is of benefit. That’s why they do it, isn’t that right?”
He condemned the CCP for its crimes against humanity, “Falun Dafa practitioners hope that through the parade, those in China will be treated fairly. However, will the CCP change its ways? People should have the freedom to choose their faith. Practitioners have not done anything wrong. The CCP should not see them as a threat, they should treat them with respect and dignity. I abhor the CCP for its actions. I hope it can listen to the voices of practitioners.”
Canadian Opposes CCP’s Infiltration Overseas
Brandon is from Nova Scotia, a province in Canada. He drove 19 hours to Toronto.
When he realised that the purpose of the parade was to support Chinese people who have quit the CCP and call for an end to the regime, he said, “The CCP’s infiltration in Canada has breached Canadian laws and its bottom line. In this country, it acts like it is in China. This is rampant. For instance, collecting information on those who oppose the CCP, and coercing them into obeying the rules and wishes of the regime even when they are in Canada. We should stand up and oppose their infiltration!”
Chinese version available
(Clearwisdom)
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