(Minghui.org) Falun Dafa practitioners held a series of events in front of the Chinese Embassy in Stockholm, near the Chinese Consulate in Gothenburg, and next to the Nobel Museum on April 23 to commemorate the 23rd anniversary of the April 25 peaceful appeal. They told people what Falun Dafa is and how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) persecutes it. They also called on the world to stop this crime against humanity.
Practitioners held a peaceful protest in front of the Chinese Embassy in Stockholm on April 23.
Practitioners demonstrated the Falun Dafa exercises on the lawn across from the Chinese embassy in Stockholm on April 23. A practitioner read an open letter to the Chinese embassy through a loudspeaker and advised the staffers to distinguish right from wrong and to distance themselves from the CCP. The practitioners exposed the CCP’s persecution and the CCP’s atrocity of organ harvesting from practitioners while they are still alive.
The quiet and peaceful atmosphere during their event drew the attention of many passersby. Most people that drove by slowed down to read the banners and some accepted materials. Some drivers honked their horns to show their support. Many people took pictures or videos, and young people gestured toward the practitioners to show their support. Some passersby talked with practitioners and asked for more information.
Practitioners peacefully protest near the Chinese Consulate in Gothenburg
Johanna from Gothenburg started practicing Falun Gong in 1999. She said, “Although many people in Sweden know that the CCP is persecuting Falun Gong, people don’t know enough about the true nature of the CCP. We need to keep telling people the truth in-depth.”
Johanna does the sitting meditation.
Thomas, one of the organizers of this event said that many passersby were very willing to receive information, “They expressed their understanding and support for our peaceful appeal for justice.”
One practitioner who participated in the event said, “The persecution has been going on for 23 years. We demand an end to the persecution. Our activities to expose the CCP’s persecution and clarify the truth will continue until the persecution ends.”
Exercise demonstration beside the Nobel Museum
Introducing Falun Gong and exposing the persecution to passersby.
At one o’clock in the afternoon, practitioners went to the Nobel Museum in central Stockholm to do the exercises, display informational boards, and collect signatures. They told local people and tourists about the April 25 peaceful appeal, the CCP’s persecution for nearly 23 years, and how the CCP harvests organs from practitioners for profit. Many people signed the petition to support ending the persecution.
People sign the petition to end the persecution.
Two sisters from the U.S. noticed practitioners doing the exercises. They stopped and talked with them for a long time. When they learned more about Falun Gong, they took the initiative to sign the petition.
They explained that they had seen a car tour that practitioners held in the U.S. to clarify the truth and expose the CCP’s persecution. The beauty of Falun Dafa left a deep impression on them.
One of the sisters said, “I didn’t expect to meet practitioners in Sweden. You spread the messages in various ways around the world, let people know about the crimes committed by the CCP, and help people be aware of the CCP’s nature. It’s really amazing. The CCP has done so many bad things, and we all wish that it will disappear as soon as possible.”
Background: What Is the April 25 Appeal?
Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) was first introduced to the public by Mr. Li Hongzhi in Changchun, China, in 1992. The spiritual discipline is now practiced in over 100 countries worldwide. Millions of people have embraced the teachings—which are based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance as well as five gentle exercises—and experienced improved health and well-being.
On April 23 & 24, 1999, police officials in Tianjin, a city near Beijing, assaulted and arrested dozens of practitioners who had gathered outside a magazine office to discuss errors in a recently published article attacking Falun Dafa. As word spread of the arrests and more practitioners inquired with officials, they were told they had to take their appeals to Beijing.
The following day, April 25, some 10,000 Falun Dafa practitioners spontaneously gathered at the Central Appeals office in Beijing, as they had been instructed by Tianjin officials. The gathering was peaceful and orderly. Several Falun Dafa representatives were called in to meet with Chinese Premier, Zhu Rongji, and members of his staff. That evening, practitioners' concerns were answered. The arrested practitioners in Tianjin were released and everyone went home.
Jiang Zemin, former head of the CCP, perceived the spiritual discipline’s growing popularity as a threat to the CCP’s atheistic ideology and issued an order to ban Falun Dafa on July 20, 1999.
Minghui.org has confirmed the deaths of thousands of practitioners due to the persecution over the years; the actual number is suspected 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.
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Category: April 25 Events
