(Minghui.org) Falun Gong practitioners gathered in front of the Chinese Consulates in Houston and Vancouver to solemnly remember their fellow practitioners who have died during the ongoing persecution of the spiritual practice in China. The practitioners held rallies and a candlelight vigil to remind the world how ten thousand practitioners went to Beijing to peacefully ask the government to allow them their basic right of belief. To their dismay, weeks later, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched the persecution of Falun Gong in July 1999.
Thousands of practitioners have been tortured and killed over the past 20 years simply because they refused to give up their spiritual practice. The practitioners who gathered in front of the Chinese consulates demanded that Beijing immediately end the persecution and asked that the international community lend a hand in ending the persecution.
To commemorate the April 25 appeal, Falun Gong practitioners around the world hold events and raise awareness of the CCP's persecution, especially the state-sanctioned live organ harvesting.
Houston: Rally in Front of the Chinese Consulate
Falun Gong practitioners held a rally in front of the Chinese Consulate in Houston on April 25, 2019. They held banners with messages in both Chinese and English that called for an immediate end to the persecution.
Rally in front of Chinese consulate in Houston on April 25, 2019.
Practitioners distributed information to passersby and those who had come to the consulate. Visa applicant Mr. Wang commended the practitioners' uncompromising courage. He said, “Wherever I go, I see kind and peaceful Falun Gong practitioners. I admire your long term peaceful reminder. Jiang Zemin (a former CCP head) initiated the persecution. He must be brought to justice.”
Yeretta (left) stops to take a photo with a practitioner.
When Yeretta noticed so many Falun Gong practitioners quietly standing in front of the consulate, she wondered why. A practitioner told her about the rally to commemorate the April 25 appeal and the CCP's brutal persecution of Falun Gong which has been ongoing for the past 20 years.
Yeretta exclaimed, “Twenty years! such a long time! How can I help you?” The practitioner gave her a flyer with information, and asked that she share it with her friends.
Yeretta immediately took out her smart phone and opened her Facebook page. She asked her friends to contact Senators and House Representatives to support Falun Gong. Before she left she signed the petition which condemns the persecution.
Vancouver, Canada: Rally and Candlelight Vigil in Front of Chinese Consulate
Falun Gong practitioners held a rally in front of the Chinese Consulate in Vancouver, Canada on April 24, 2019. They also held a candlelight vigil that evening to commemorate fellow practitioners who died from the CCP's persecution.
Rally in front of Chinese consulate in Vancouver, Canada on April 24, 2019.
Candlelight vigil in front of the Chinese consulate in Vancouver, Canada on the evening of April 24, 2019.
Practitioners holding informational banners lined the street. David Yan, a Vancouver Internet blogger, came to the rally to support Falun Gong practitioners.
David said that he knows that practicing Falun Gong is good for both physical and mental health. He said he often mentions Falun Gong on social media and comes to support practitioners' events to raise awareness.
The practitioners held a candlelight vigil at 8:30 p.m. in front of the Chinese Consulate to commemorate their fellow practitioners who were persecuted to death by the CCP for their belief.
Relevant article in Chinese: Vancouver
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Category: April 25 Events
