(Minghui.org) July 4, 2024 is the 248th anniversary of the United States’ adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Falun Dafa practitioners from Houston, Texas, participated in the Independence Day parade in Kingwood and received the “Most Original Award.”
Many people said they appreciated Falun Dafa’s principles – Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, and some said they felt inspired to learn more about Falun Dafa.
Kingwood is located in the Greater Houston area. This large planned community, which covers 15,000 acres, has been named the second friendliest community in the United States for its welcoming and beautiful environment. The Independence Day Parade, which began in the 1970s, is an important local event. This year marked the city’s 51st Independence Day celebration.
Practitioners held banners with messages such as, “Falun Dafa Is Good,” “Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance,” “Falun Dafa in Texas,” and “The World Needs Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance,” and demonstrated the exercises. The banners were hung on both sides of the float, on which a blooming lotus, and festive red, white, and blue decorations were particularly eye-catching. Practitioners dressed as celestial maidens and the waist drum team were met with applause and cheers along the parade route, and people on both sides of the road recorded them with their mobile phones.
Falun Dafa practitioners love peace and cherish freedom, which is in line with the spirit of Independence Day, because the United States was founded on the basis of universal freedoms, including freedom of belief. Many spectators praised practitioners for being a truly peaceful group, and a number of people said that this society needs Dafa’s principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance.
Alyssa, who watched the parade, said, “[The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP)] organ harvesting is terrible. What can we do to stop it? I want to stay in touch with you and express my support.”
Lynn, the head of a yoga company, remarked, “I feel good and peaceful when I hear the three words ‘Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance.’”
The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed the Falun Gong Protection Act, which condemns the CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong and the crime of live organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners, and imposes sanctions on those who participate in live organ harvesting. When she heard about it, Lynn welcomed and supported this legislation. She said, “I support practitioners’ efforts to expose the persecution. Live organ harvesting by the CCP should not happen and is unacceptable.”
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, due to the difficulty in getting information out of China, the actual number is believed to be much higher. 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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