(Clearwisdom.net) In order to call for an end to the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) decade-long persecution of Falun Gong, Falun Gong practitioners in Sweden held a car tour, stopping in a number of cities to hold truth-clarification activities. The tour started from Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, on July 11, 2009, and stopped in various cities including Malmo, Borgholm, Helsingborg, Goteborg, Linkping, Karlstad, and Orebro. Their truth clarification activities received wide attention from local political figures in Sweden and the media, as well as strong support from the local people.
Spreading the facts about Falun Gong near the Swedish National Maritime Museum
Protesting the CCP's decade-long brutal persecution of Falun Gong in front of the Chinese Embassy
These Swedish youngsters showed their support for Falun Gong practitioners' peaceful protest of the persecution
People signed the petitions calling for an end to the persecution
People reading poster boards to learn about Falun Gong
Demonstrating the Falun Gong exercises in the city center square
People learning the exercises
A number of people were interested in learning the exercises
On July 19, 2009, the car tour arrived on schedule at the final destination, the capital city of Stockholm. On July 19 and 20, practitioners held a series of the activities in Stockholm.
Spreading Falun Gong at a famous scenic siteOn the morning of July 19, the practitioners went to a well-known scenic site in Stockholm, the Vasa Museum (Vasa museet), where they did the exercises as a group. They introduced Falun Dafa to tourists from all over the world and exposed the Chinese Communist Party's persecution of Falun Dafa in China.
A Chinese tour group saw the practitioners doing the exercises, and were amazed. They said that they had seen the Epoch Times newspaper the day before. Many of them had looked at the Falun Gong information column and carefully read it.
Protesting the CCP's persecution in front of the Chinese Embassy
At 6:00 p.m., practitioners gathered in front of the Chinese Embassy to protest the CCP's decade-long brutal persecution in China. Some practitioners held banners that read, "Stop Persecuting Falun Gong" and "Support the 57 Million Quitting the Chinese Communist Party." The practitioners held a candlelight vigil to commemorate those fellow practitioners who lost their lives in the persecution.
During the event, several practitioners gave speeches exposing the CCP's inhuman persecution of Falun Gong with their personal experiences. They called on all people to condemn these crimes against humanity. Meanwhile, they delivered a message to the embassy staff, calling on them to learn about the facts of Falun Gong as soon as possible and not be accomplices of the CCP's persecution.
Passers-by stopped to ask questions. Many learned about Falun Gong, and a lot of motorists passing the embassy slowed down and gave a thumbs-up or honked as a show of support.
Rally on City Center Square to seek support
On the morning of July 20, the practitioners held large-scale truth-clarification activities in downtown Stockholm (Sergels Torg). There was a photo exhibition illustrating the journey of Falun Gong, an exercise demonstration, and music and dance performances to spread the grace of Dafa. Practitioners also exposed the persecution by re-enacting some of the CCP's torture methods, while Falun Gong practitioners narrated their personal experiences of being persecuted in China. Practitioners also taught the exercises to those who wanted to learn.
The demonstration of the peaceful Falun Gong exercises attracted a lot of visitors who stopped and watched. Some of them wanted to learn the exercises on the spot. A woman stayed for more than two hours, taking in the exercises and the other events.
People were shocked that such a peaceful practice has been persecuted by the CCP for ten years.
One woman signed the petition form calling for an end to the persecution, and then encouraged her three children to sign their names as well. Her youngest son was only five years old. The woman said, "I am very confident that all this information is true. I have a friend who has adopted a child from China. She often goes to China. We are all very concerned about China's affairs. We often look at the reports on human rights issues in China. I often talk to my children about it. I think we all should be aware of the issues."
A group of young people listened to the practitioners' explanation, and immediately put their signatures on the petition. They were pleased to have a group photo taken with the practitioners to express their support for Falun Gong.
A western practitioner who took part in the car tour said, "I have deep feelings about this car tour. Now, more and more people are concerned about the persecution of Falun Gong, but a lot of people are still deceived by the CCP. We cannot allow the persecution to continue further."
BackgroundFalun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a traditional Chinese spiritual discipline for mind and body. The practice involves slow, gentle movements and meditation. It is easy to learn, enjoyable to practice, and free of charge. Its principles are based on Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. The practice began in China in 1992 and quickly spread by word of mouth throughout China and then beyond. Its beneficial effects in uplifting an individual's physical health, spiritual well-being and moral character, not to mention its positive influence in the community and society as a whole, have been undeniable. In fact, Falun Gong is practiced by over 100 million people in 100 countries. The main works of Falun Gong are available in over 30 languages.
On July 20, 1999, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched a brutal persecution of Falun Gong. Since the start of the persecution, Falun Gong practitioners throughout the world have been constantly speaking out about the truth of Falun Gong and exposing the CCP's crimes in a tireless effort to end the persecution.
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