(Clearwisdom.net) According to Voice of America's report on July 23, Falun Gong practitioners from all over the world held a "Great Wall of Courage" activity in Washington DC to protest the Jiang group's five-year persecution of Falun Gong. They called upon the Chinese government to stop the persecution.
- Let more people learn about Falun Gong
The report said that practitioners from across the U.S. and other countries gathered in Washington DC. Practitioners wearing yellow T-shirts could be seen everywhere on the 3-kilometer-long street from the World War II Memorial to the Chinese Embassy. They lined up to build a "Great Wall" and held banners and posters, hoping to allow more people to learn about the situation of Falun Gong in China and urge the Chinese government to stop the persecution of Falun Gong.
The protesting Falun Gong practitioners included the young and old, male and female, from different races started appearing on the street around noon. Many are from west coast, Canada and other countries. Their protest was silent and completely depended on visualization. Many banners and signs appeared on the grass in front of the Chinese Embassy, some promoting Falun Gong, some directly targeting the former Chinese President Jiang Zemin.
- The Great Wall of Courage embodies Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance
According to the report, Washington DC Falun Gong spokesperson Ms. Amy Xue, who was organizing practitioners to line up, said to a reporter that this activity was to further embody Falun Gong's three tenets: Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance. She said, "The Chinese government fabricated many lies against us but we follow 'Truthfulness'. They described us as monsters and freaks who either murder others or commit suicide, but we could never do those things at all. We want to tell the facts to the society and to the world. This is truthful. As for 'compassion', we want those who persecute us and those who are deceived to stop their evildoings. These are our compassionate acts. For 'tolerance', we are peaceful. We have no slogans and no violent actions. We only try to speak for the persecuted: stop the persecution. Therefore, our actions are completely in accordance with principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance."
Ms. Zou Bin, who came from afar with her 7-year-old son, firmly believes in Falun Gong. She said, "I came from Los Angeles to attend these activities. I participated in the parade yesterday and today I'm helping to build this 'Great Wall of Courage.' The only purpose is to allow more people to be aware of this suppression in China that should not have happened and is not justified on the basis of the law."
Ms. Zou Bin started reading Falun Gong books in 1999. She and her son distributed Falun Gong booklets. She firmly believes in the founder of Falun Gong, Mr. Li Hongzhi and considers him perfect.
- Protesters not limited to Chinese
Westerners from all over the world also took part in this activity. According to the report, the organizers estimated that about 3,000 people attended this activity and they are not limited to Chinese people. Practitioners of different nationalities and races participated. Ms. Sophia from Canada is one who extremely esteems Falun Gong. She said that Falun Gong is profound and allows people to obtain good health and improve their character. She said that the purpose of her participation was to hope the Chinese government would stop the genocide, stop the persecution of practitioners inside and outside China.
This reporter saw the painting held in her hands which depicted the torture methods (used against practitioners) and asked her about the sources of the persecution news. Sophia said, "Amnesty International and many other human rights organizations all help us to collect related information. Some is from China. All related information has been recorded in detail and collected by the United Nations and other respected international institutions."
- Persevering at their post despite the rain, while the Chinese Embassy remained tightly shut
The report said that a shower drove passersby away but Falun Gong practitioners still stood there. By the time this reporter finished his report, Falun Gong's "Great Wall of Courage" activity was still going on. The Chinese Embassy was tightly shut all along. In order to get a response from the Chinese government, this reporter phoned the Chinese Embassy's main switchboard, news department and political department, but no one answered the phone.
Starting at 7 pm, Falun Gong practitioners held a candlelight vigil in front of the Lincoln Memorial.
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