(Minghui.org) In honor of World Falun Dafa Day next week, Mayor James Kenney of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, proclaimed May 13 “World Falun Dafa Day” in the city.

Proclamation from Mayor James Kenney of Philadelphia

The proclamation reads, “Rooted in Chinese spiritual tradition, Falun Dafa, also called Falun Gong, was first taught publicly in China in 1992 by Li Hongzhi, the founder of the practice, who has been honored with multiple awards, including being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and Sakharov Prize for freedom.

“Today, the mind-body practice of Falun Dafa has more than 100 million adherents in over 90 countries worldwide, of all ages and backgrounds. Instruction is provided free of charge through on-line workshops and other channels and can be practiced individually or in groups.”

“Falun Dafa combined meditation techniques with exercises that are meant to enhance health, improve moral standards, and promote general well-being. These practitioners are encouraged to emphasize truthfulness, compassion and forbearance in their lives.

“The practice was outlawed in China in 1999, and the day is also used to remember those in China who were not able to freely practice their beliefs. In June 2016, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution urging the international community to help end discrimination against those who were being persecuted for the practice. The Pennsylvania House of Representatives unanimously passed similar resolutions in 2014 and 2017.”

Background

Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) was introduced to the public in 1992. Nearly 100 million people across China were soon practicing it after experiencing improvements in their health and character. Jiang Zemin, former head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), perceived the spiritual discipline's growing popularity as a threat to the Party's atheistic ideology and on July 20, 1999, issued an order to ban the practice.

Minghui.org has confirmed the deaths of thousands of practitioners as a result of the persecution over the past 22 years. The actual number is believed to be much higher. More have been imprisoned and tortured for their faith.

There is concrete evidence that the CCP sanctions the harvesting of organs from detained practitioners, who are murdered to supply the organ transplant industry.

Under Jiang's personal direction, the CCP established the 610 Office, an extralegal security organization with the power to override the police and judicial systems and whose sole function is to carry out the persecution of Falun Dafa.