(Minghui.org) Since the state-sanctioned harvesting of organs from living Falun Gong practitioners in China came to light, millions around the world have signed petitions calling on their governments to condemn these atrocities. Despite heavy censorship of such information in China, more and more people are finding the courage to voice their opposition to the Communist regime's persecution of Falun Gong.
Public support for practitioners' peaceful resistance is growing across China, even in regions surrounding the central government in Beijing.
The latest demonstration of support came from Tianjin, one of four municipalities directly administrated by the central government. It's also one of the first cities in which the nationwide persecution of Falun Gong was launched in 1999.
Each name is accompanied by a fingerprint of the signer
Since February 2014, 5,894 people in Tianjin and Hengshui (a nearby town in Hebei Province) have signed the petition.
At one signature drive, Falun Gong practitioners met a government official. After a long conversation, he not only signed the petition but also renounced his membership in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). “The Communist Party harvesting organs from Falun Gong practitioners is too brutal and inhumane,” he said, while affixing his fingerprint to the signature sheet.
In front of a village convenience store, practitioners told a group of people about the persecution and organ harvesting. The villagers eagerly took all of the pamphlets the practitioners had prepared. Since the store was a high-traffic area, many passersby listened in, and almost everyone signed the petition.
In another village, after listening to practitioners, an old farmer told those gathered around, “The CCP is really horrible. I've witnessed many crimes it committed. The party robs its people, and it even persecutes good people—all the Falun Gong practitioners I know are very good people. Now it even harvests people's organs for profit. It's unconscionable. I am absolutely against it, so I'll sign my name.”
Encouraged by him, more than thirty villagers signed their names and applied their fingerprints on the petition.
In a small village, practitioners talked to almost all of the 60 households about the persecution. Many villagers withdrew their memberships in the Communist Party and its affiliated organizations. The majority of the village signed the petition.
On the way to a remote village, practitioners saw a truck parked on a country road and a young man wandering around near it, seemingly waiting for someone. Practitioners approached him and asked if he needed help.
He said, “I saw an old man in my dream last night. He told me to wait here today, and someone would bring blessings to me. I'm not sure what it is. I thought maybe I might find something on the road or in the field. I've been here for a while but found nothing. I should go now.”
A practitioner replied, “It must be a Buddha. He brought us to you. We can help you to quit the Communist organizations, and you will be blessed.” The young man said he had already done so a few days ago. The practitioners said, “That is great. But have you heard about the organ harvesting crimes? The Buddha arranged us to come here so you'll have a chance to express your support.”
After they chatted for some time, the young man signed the petition.
Another gentleman signed the petition without hesitation. He also wanted to write “Falun Dafa is good” on the petition form, but a practitioner told him that because the form will be submitted to international organizations, it would be inappropriate to write these words on it.
The gentleman said he still wanted to express his appreciation for practitioners' telling him about the persecution. Finally, they agreed on a solution—he wrote “Falun Dafa is good” on a practitioner's hand.