(Minghui.org) On May 27, 2012, Falun Gong practitioners gathered in Los Angeles' Chinatown to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Falun Dafa's introduction to the public. They held a rally and parade to support the 116 million Chinese people who have withdrawn from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated organizations. At the most bustling section of Broadway Avenue, Falun Gong representatives and people from all walks of life gave presentations about the benefits of Dafa and exposed the persecution in China. The rally drew large numbers of passers-by to stop and listen.
Falun Gong practitioners' parade through Chinatown
Passersby, drawn to the parade, stop to watch and take photos
People were eager to read the truth-clarification materials
According to Falun Gong practitioner representative Professor Wu Yingnian from the University of California, since Falun Gong was first introduced by Master Li Hongzhi to the public in China in 1992, within just a few years, the practice has spread far and wide both inside and outside of China. Tens of millions of people from all walks of life and different professions have obtained physical and mental wellbeing and upgraded their moral standards.
Practitioners in Los Angeles hold a rally to support the 116 million people who have withdrawn from the CCP and its affiliated organizations
Practitioner Albert Roman speaks at the rally
Among the practitioners who spoke at the rally was Albert Roman. Mr. Roman loves Chinese culture, and during a visit to China in 1998, he saw people in different areas practicing Falun Gong. He joined them and started practicing Dafa himself. He said that there were about 100 million people practicing Falun Gong in China in 1998. The popularity of Falun Gong lies in its miraculous effect on healing and keeping fit, and its principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.
Martial artist Mr. Li Youfu shares his cultivation experience
Mr. Li Youfu fell in love with martial arts when he was a child. He had a well-known martial arts professor as his mentor and practiced martial arts persistently for more than ten years. He won a national-level Traditional Martial Arts Championship and World Cup Martial Arts Championship. After he came to the U.S., he became a Doctor of Oriental Medicine. However, he had been searching for answers to questions regarding the universe, life, and humanity. In May 1996, he found Falun Dafa and discovered what he had pursued all his life. He then became a Falun Dafa practitioner.
Mr. Li recounted, “Over the past years of Falun Dafa cultivation, I have learned that there is such a wonderful cultivation practice and opportunity for mankind, and there is such a pure and profound cultivation method that is right in front our eyes. Cultivation in Falun Dafa makes me feel so happy.”
As Wu Yingnian, a professor at the University of California, said, under the guidance of the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, Falun Gong practitioners who are government officials are impartial and free from corruption; those who are doctors value medical ethics; those who are teachers work diligently and conscientiously; practitioners who are business people are honest and don't try to deceive others. The existence of such a large number of people only brings great benefits to society, but Jiang Zemin, the former head of the CCP, out of jealousy of Falun Gong's great popularity, launched a brutal persecution campaign against Falun Gong on July 20, 1999. The persecution has persisted for 13 years.
The Persecution of Falun Gong Is the Biggest Human Rights Disaster over the Past Ten-plus Years in China
Falun Gong practitioner Professor Wu Yingnian from the University of California speaks at the rally
Professor Wu cited statistics from the Minghui website that as of today, more than 3,550 practitioners have been verified through civil channels to have died as a direct result of the persecution. Among them, many were tortured to death by the CCP police. Tens of thousands of practitioners have been illegally sentenced to imprisonment, and hundreds of thousands of practitioners have been subjected to forced labor without going through any legal procedures. Among them, many have been sentenced to forced labor terms for the third and fourth times.
Practitioner Ms. Shi Zhenhua uses her personal experience to denounce the persecution of Falun Gong
Ms. Shi Zhenhua from Tianjin was illegally sentenced to nine years in prison and was released in February 2010. She was held in Tianjin Women's Prison, where she was forced to do hard labor in the daytime, and after work, she was forced to stand still until 10:30 p.m.. Long-term standing caused her to have blood in the stool. As she refused to be “transformed,” the guards deprived her of proper food, which caused her to suffer from severe anemia and even shock. At the same time, she witnessed how the guards adopted heinous methods to force other practitioners to “transform.” Some practitioners were tortured to the point of a mental collapse, and some almost lost their lives after several months of forced-feeding as a mean of torture. Ms. Shi said, “With strong belief in Dafa, I tenaciously walked out the evil den, and with God's help, I came to this free country. I want to expose the CCP's crimes to the world.” Ms. Shi also advised the CCP police, “No longer follow the CCP, but treat illegally-detained Dafa practitioners kindly. Try to make up for your sins through good deeds.”
CCP's Live Organ Harvest Increasingly Arouses Concerns from the Medical Community
Dr. Dana Churchill, Southern California representative for Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting
Dr. Dana Churchill, Southern California representative for Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting, exposed an appalling crime of the CCP in the persecution of Falun Gong – harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners, and selling the organs to international patients for huge profit in organ transplantation surgeries.
Dr. Churchill said that the CCP's forced labor camps are full of Falun Gong practitioners, and while subjected to the guards' physical abuse and torture, they also are forced to undergo a physical examination. Many practitioners saw their fellow practitioners disappear. The wife of a prison doctor who participated in organ harvesting once testified to the public about the crimes or organ harvesting, which inspired Canadian human rights lawyer David Matas and Canadian former Secretary of State for the Asia-Pacific region David Kilgour to conduct an in-depth investigation into the allegations of organ harvesting. The two co-authored a book Bloody Harvest, exposing in detail the CCP's crimes of harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners. The organ harvesting of living Dafa practitioners began in 2001, and it is believed that it is still ongoing.
Dr. Churchill said that at the American Transplant Congress held in Philadelphia in 2011, there was a seminar on the CCP's organ harvesting, which was attended by nearly a hundred doctors, academics and members of the pharmaceutical companies. Dr. Churchill stressed that the CCP's atrocities of live organ harvesting is gaining more and more attention and protest from the medical community.
Political Commentator Wu Fan: Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance Is a Treasure that Heaven Bestows upon Humankind to Survive Difficulties
Political commentator Wu Fan speaks at the rally
Well-known political commentator Wu Fan said that China and the world are experiencing great difficulties, such as environmental destruction, economic downturn and other dangerous situations. He believes that these disasters cannot be resolved through only economic means, but should depend on spiritual strength – notably, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Mr. Wu said that if hundreds of millions of Falun Gong practitioners in China have been able to make it through under such brutal suppression, what suffering can't we overcome?
There has been recent news from China of 300 villagers from Zhouguantun Village, Botou Town, Cangzhou, Hebei Province signing their real names and putting their thumbprints on a petition calling for the immediate release of a respected school teacher from their village who was arrested and detained by the authorities because he practices Falun Gong. In another case, 2,300 people from Changli County, Qinhuangdao City signed a petition to support Falun Gong practitioner couple Mr. Zhou Xiangyang and his wife Li Shanshan, who are appealing an unjust sentence. Mr. Wu said that the two cases show that “The Communist Party has slandered and demonized Falun Gong in an attempt to separate Falun Gong from the general public, but through the spread of the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party, and promoting withdrawals from the CCP organizations, ordinary people have witnessed that Falun Gong is really a group of citizens who have high moral standards, do not fear authority, and only pursue freedom of cultivation. They have gained people's respect. The situation is really going to undergo a tremendous change.” Mr. Wu stated, “Prior to this change, everybody needs to make a choice: how to treat Falun Gong? Because the final trial is inevitable; people will definitely demand that the CCP be held accountable.”
Pro-democracry Activist Mr. Liu Yinquan: As Long as the Persecution of Falun Gong Continues, There Will Be No Solution for All the Problems in China
Pro-democracy activist Mr. Liu Yinquan
Chair of the Social Democratic Party of China, Mr. Liu Yinquan said that among all the crises in China today, the most fundamental and critical issue is the crisis of faith/belief. He said that the moral degeneration in China is shocking. He believes that the root of the major current social problems at present is the persecution of Falun Gong. He asserted, “If this issue [the persecution of Falun Gong] is left unresolved, even if there is democracy in China, there will not be much hope. So I think the most pressing task is not so much to establish democracy, but to stop the persecution of Falun Gong.”
Representative of the Los Angeles Quitting the CCP Service Center: Wang Lijun Incident Pushes Forward the Grand Tide of Three Withdrawals
Helen Li, representative of the Los Angeles Quitting the CCP Service Center
Ms. Helen Li, representative of the Los Angeles Quit-the-CCP Service Center said, “Since Wang Lijun fled to the U.S. Consulate on February 6, 2012, there has occurred an unprecedented historic change in China. The change has been developed so rapidly that it is unexpected and amazing.” She said that some government officials in China saw their own future from Wang Lijun's fate, and the precariousness of the CCP regime. Afraid that they will be held accountable for the crimes they have committed, they are more than willing to quit the CCP organizations in order to leave a way out for themselves. Crowds of Chinese tourists eager to renounce their CCP membership can be seen at tourists sites throughout the world.
Ms. Li hopes that more people can be aware that Falun Dafa is good, and amidst this historic change, choose to quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations for their own future.
During the rally, many passersby, especially Chinese people, stopped for a long time to listen. After the speeches, the practitioners' waist drum team, a group of “Celestial Maidens” dancers and a float decorated with a rotating Falun emblem received applause and cheers from the spectators.
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