(Clearwisdom.net) On Saturday January 15, 2005, Falun Gong practitioners from twenty countries held a large-scale parade through central London. In addition to displaying the widespread recognition of Falun Gong around the world and the benefits that Falun Gong has brought to society, the parade also intended to expose the ongoing persecution that the regime in China has been waging against Falun Gong for the past five years. Latvian Falun Gong practitioners also attended the parade, hoping to raise awareness of the international society to Jiang's persecution against Falun Gong.
The Baltic News Service covered this event on January 17. The report said more than eight hundred Falun Gong practitioners from twenty-plus countries attended the parade.
The purpose of the parade was to urge international society to pay attention to the crimes that Jiang's regime has committed against Falun Gong practitioners, and to emphasize the necessity of bringing the leading perpetrator Jiang Zemin, the former Chinese President, to justice. Nine Falun Gong practitioners from Latvia participated in the parade.
The participants held posters, which read "Rescue Falun Gong Practitioners being persecuted in China", "Stop persecuting Falun Gong" and "Bring Jiang to justice". They came from various countries, including the USA, the Czech Republic, France, Italy, Israel, UK, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Germany and Sweden.
Maria, a Falun Gong practitioner from Boston, USA, told a reporter that participating in this parade has a special meaning for her because her original nationality is Polish. At the age of three, Maria's mother was sent to a concentration camp by the Nazis when Germany occupied Poland during World War II. Maria commented, "It means a lot to me to bring the perpetrators of another genocidal persecution to justice."
Immediately after the parade, Falun Gong practitioners lined up to form a "Great Wall of Courage". They demonstrated the five sets of Falun Gong exercises and the various forms of torture that China is applying to Falun Gong practitioners. They also displayed a "Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance" banner and several other banners to appeal for an immediate end to the persecution.
On Saturday evening, many practitioners, including those from Latvia, attended a candlelight vigil in front of the Chinese Embassy in London. The London Chinese Embassy appeal by local Falun Gong practitioners has now been ongoing for over 2 years, 24 hours a day, and has received widespread media coverage. Practitioners demanded the Chinese Government to stop persecuting Falun Gong and punish the perpetrators severely. On the following day, an international experience-sharing conference was held in London.
Source: http://clearharmony.net/articles/200501/24600.html
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Category: Parades & Other Community Events
