(Minghui.org) On July 20, 1999, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched its persecution of Falun Dafa that has since resulted in the arrest, torture, and killing of practitioners all over China. As the persecution enters its 21st year, practitioners in Hamburg and nearby areas gathered for a rally on July 18, 2020, to let people know about the persecution and to commemorate those who lost their lives in China for upholding their faith.

Practitioners set up an information booth and large exhibit boards in the bustling heart of Hamburg, on Junfernstieg Reesendammbruecke. Some practitioners demonstrated the exercises while the others gave out pamphlets. Some passersby stopped to learn more about the persecution, especially the state-sanctioned killing of practitioners for organs in China. Some signed a petition calling to end the persecution and encouraged practitioners to keep up their efforts.

Practitioners demonstrate the Falun Dafa exercises at Reesendammbruecke in Hamburg on July 18, 2020.

During the event, a practitioner read out statements sent by several German politicians who expressed their concern over the ongoing persecution in China.

Live Organ Harvesting “Very Disturbing”

A woman in her 50s stopped her bike in front of the information booth and asked several questions about the CCP’s forced organ harvesting from practitioners in China. She said she’d heard about it before and had seen practitioners collecting signatures and putting up poster boards outside the Chinese Consulate in Hamburg many times.

As she looked at a live re-enactment of some of the torture methods the CCP uses on practitioners in China, she sighed and said, “This persecution is ridiculous! It has continued for too long! I cannot remember the number of times I've seen your information booth. I guess some people do not wish to see this. This live organ harvesting is very disturbing. We must face it.”

People sign a petition calling to end the persecution of Falun Gong in China.

Holding the brochure in her right hand, a mother explains the persecution to her children.

An elderly couple came directly to the information table to sign the petition. When a practitioner offered to give them a brochure, the man said that they already knew about the persecution and hoped that practitioners' efforts to end the persecution will be successful.

A middle-aged woman said when she traveled to China in 2009, she asked a tour guide about Falun Dafa and the CCP's persecution. The tour guide refused to answer her. The practitioner explained that people in China are afraid to talk about Falun Dafa, fearing reprisal from the CCP.

The woman asked why the CCP persecutes Falun Dafa. A practitioner explained that Falun Dafa had become China's most popular self-cultivation discipline and that even some high-ranking CCP officials practiced Dafa. Jealous of its popularity, former Party leader Jiang Zemin initiated the persecution to eradicate Falun Dafa.

Candlelight Vigil at Elbphilharmonie

That night, from 9-10 p.m., practitioners gathered in front of Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie concert hall to hold a candlelight vigil to mourn their fellow practitioners who had died as a result of the persecution in China.

Practitioners hold a candlelight vigil in front of Hamburg's Elbphilharmonie concert hall on July 18, 2020.

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Category: July 20 Events