(Minghui.org) The annual WorldFest international festival was held in Louisville, Kentucky from September 1 to 4, 2017, the long Labor Day weekend. Falun Gong practitioners participated in the event, to introduce this traditional Chinese mind-body cultivation practice and expose the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) ongoing persecution of Falun Gong in China.
The annual WorldFest celebration is one of the region’s largest international festivals, with four days of world food, music, dance, culture and education.
The weather was lovely this year and crowds of people visited the more than 100 booths representing various cultures, foods, handcrafted products, clothes and artworks.
Falun Gong practitioners participate in WorldFest in Louisville, KY during the Labor Day weekend.
The Falun Gong booth was decorated with two large banners, one reading “Falun Dafa is great,” and the other “The world needs Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance.” Posters showed the Falun Gong exercises and information about the CCP's brutal persecution including the state-sanctioned live organ harvesting of prisoners of conscience, the majority of whom are Falun Gong practitioners.
Several practitioners demonstrated the exercises in front of the booth. The peaceful meditation was in stark contrast to the loud rock 'n' roll music on the stage nearby. Many visitors paused and took photos. Several people learned the exercises at the booth.
Many people were shocked at the CCP's brutality against the peaceful practitioners and wanted to learn more. Practitioners told them that the persecution has lasted 18 years and that there are at least 4,000 documented deaths due to the persecution, but the actual number is likely much higher. Many practitioners were killed for their organs, which are sold for transplantation surgeries. After hearing about these brutalities, many people signed a petition calling for an end to the persecution.
A middle-aged woman signed the petition after speaking with a practitioner. Then she hugged the practitioner and said, “I appreciate your letting me know about what is happening in China.”
Another woman talked with a practitioner and wept after learning that innocent people are persecuted for their belief and even killed for their organs. She signed the petition. She was very moved when she saw the calligraphy for “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance” on the table and touched the words while closing her eyes. She was very pleased when a practitioner told her that she could have it and said, “I truly appreciate that you are here. I am a yoga instructor. I can feel what you are doing here.”
One woman was curious when she heard that Falun Gong is always taught free of charge. She was impressed when she learned that practitioners follow the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance and strive to be good people. She remarked, “Our society needs more people like you!”
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