(Minghui.org) Falun Dafa practitioners in the San Francisco Bay Area participated in the 173rd St. Patrick’s Day Parade on the morning of March 16, 2024.
The City of San Francisco was filled with a festive atmosphere and the streets were lined with parade spectators.
The Falun Dafa group included an exercise demonstration team, a waist drum team and the Western U.S. Tian Guo Marching Band. So far, the Falun Dafa group holds the record for being the largest team in the city’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Many spectators danced to the music played by the Tian Guo Marching Band, some happily took photos with practitioners, and others gave them a thumbs up.
Parade Participant: Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance Is Wonderful
Jaime O’ Keefe is a member of the car team in the parade, and said, “I’m happy that you are participating in the parade. I know that Falun Dafa is very peaceful, but it is persecuted in China. I’m glad that you can convey your message to the audience during the parade.
“Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is the most beautiful message,” she said, “We all want to follow these principles. Especially in today’s society, we need this even more. People have lost their direction. If people all follow these principles, things will get better. This practice is positive.”
Neil Campbell was part of an Irish flag team and said he often saw Falun Dafa practitioners, “I saw them in New York. They are very peaceful. I think Falun Dafa is good. They are respected.”
He said that Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good. “The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution is shameful. I saw practitioners in New York protesting the persecution.”
Kim Boyd from Ireland, applauded the Falun Dafa practitioners in the parade and said, “They are so beautiful and touching. I am happy that we can see this group today. I like the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. These are great principles.”
Another spectator, Ashley Whitney, said she liked the Falun Dafa procession and the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance.
She said, “We need Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance. We need peace, happiness, and belief.”
The CCP’s Persecution Must Stop
Bo who is Filipino-Chinese watched the parade and took photos. He said he knew about Falun Dafa and has seen their parades before, “I saw them before. The principle of Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance are great.” When he heard about the CCP’s persecution, he said, “The persecution must stop. It must stop now.”
Narem who is Indian American said he heard of the persecution in China, “I think every country should let people have freedom. People should have freedom of thought.” His wife Athana who is from Ukraine agreed and said, “Freedom is very important.”
A woman from China took video footage of the Falun Dafa procession. She said, “This group is great and high spirited, and gives an overall wonderful feeling.”
Li from China also took videos of the Falun Dafa team. He did not accept a flyer from a practitioner but instead proudly took a Falun Dafa information brochure from his pocket. He said he saw Falun Dafa practitioners before, “I saw a Falun Dafa parade in New York. It is great.”
Rahul said, “This is my first time seeing the Falun Dafa group perform. Very impressive.
“I like the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance. Everyone should follow them.” He condemned the persecution, saying, “Persecution anywhere is wrong. The persecution should stop.”
Background: What Is Falun Dafa and Why Is the CCP Persecuting It?
Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) was first introduced to the public by Mr. Li Hongzhi in Changchun, China, in 1992. The spiritual discipline is now practiced in over 100 countries and regions worldwide. Its teachings are based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. Millions of people who have embraced the teachings and exercises have experienced improved health and well-being.
Jiang Zemin, former head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), perceived the spiritual discipline’s growing popularity as a threat to the CCP’s atheistic ideology. On July 20, 1999, he issued an order to eradicate the practice.
Under Jiang’s personal direction, the CCP established the 610 Office, an extralegal security organisation that has the power to override the police and judicial systems. Its sole function is to carry out the persecution of Falun Dafa.
Minghui.org has confirmed the deaths of thousands of practitioners as a result of the persecution over the past 24 years. However, the actual number is believed to be much higher, due to the difficulty in getting information out of China. Countless practitioners have been imprisoned and tortured for their faith.
There is concrete evidence that the CCP sanctions the harvesting of organs from detained practitioners, who are murdered to supply China’s organ transplant industry.
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