(Minghui.org) Falun Dafa practitioners held a July 20th parade in Ikebukuro on July 17, 2022. They also held a rally to tell people about the ongoing persecution in China, to call for an end to organ harvesting atrocities, and to celebrate the nearly 400 million Chinese who have withdrawn from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated organizations.

That evening practitioners also held a candlelight vigil in Ojima-Komatsugawa Park at 6:30 p.m. They mourned fellow practitioners who died as a result of persecution over the course of its 23 long years.

On July 20, 1999 the CCP initiated a nation-wide persecution in China to eradicate Falun Dafa and practitioners. Every year practitioners hold events to call attention to the persecution, and call for it to end.

Grand Parade in Ikebukuro

The grand parade set off from East Ikebukuro Central Park at 1:30 p.m. and passed through the streets of Ikebukuro.

The parade consisted of the Tian Guo Marching Band, practitioners demonstrating the Falun Dafa exercises and practitioners carrying banners. The banners read “Peacefully Resisting 23 Years of Persecution,” “Falun Dafa Is Good,” “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance Is Good,” “Stop CCP’s Forced Live Organ Harvesting,” “Disintegrate The CCP To Stop The Persecution,” “Heaven Will Disintegrate The CCP,” “Quit The CCP and Its Affiliated Organizations,” “ Celebrate 390 Million Chinese People Quitting The CCP and Its Affiliated Organizations”.

Practitioners called for people to stay away from the CCP and to withdraw from any CCP affiliated organizations they may have joined.

Many locals stopped to watch and some commented, “The parade looks peaceful, powerful and touching.” Others said that they knew about Falun Dafa and that practitioners are a group of compassionate people. They also said that the CCP must end the persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners immediately.

Practitioners held a parade in Ikebukuro on July 17, 2022.

Japanese Resident: “I support you!”

Mr. Kawaguchi

Mr. Kawaguchi passed by East Ikebukuro Central Park. He noticed the practitioners’ event and said, “I wish you all the best! I support you!”

Mr. Kuriyama said, “I am happy to learn about Falun Dafa. Thank you and I wish you all the best.”

Mr. Morido’s friend is a Falun Dafa practitioner.

Ms. Hakamata signs the petition.

Ms. Hakamata and her friend, both from Noda, Chiba Prefecture, were shopping in Ikebukuro. They stopped to watch the parade said that it was magnificent.

Mr. Oosaku from Tokorozawa, Saitama said, “I heard about the persecution of Falun Dafa on the news. However, those around me may not have heard about it.” Practitioners gave him truth-clarification materials to distribute to his family and friends.

Passersby support Falun Dafa by signing the petition.

Mr. Kurogawa said, “It is not right to take lives to maintain political power. The regime which is based on sacrificing lives is wrong.”

“I hope that Japanese society will learn the truth about Falun Dafa”

Ms. Ha Thuy Linh, a Falun Dafa practitioner from Vietnam.

Ms. Ha Thuy Linh from Vietnam said, “I wanted to learn more about Falun Dafa when I first encountered it. I began listening to Master’s audio lectures online and practiced the five sets of exercises.”

Ms. Ha said she experienced dramatic changes after practicing Falun Dafa. She was often stressed at work and practicing Falun Dafa alleviated her stress. She abides by Falun Dafa’s principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance while at work.

She thanked Master and said, “The persecution is still ongoing in China. I came to participate in the parade hoping to end it.”

Meiyun, a young Falun Dafa practitioner.

Meiyun, a young Falun Dafa practitioner said, “I have come to participate in the parade today. Falun Dafa is good. The persecution is bad. I want to help stop the persecution of Falun Dafa!”

Nguyen Thi Huang, a Falun Dafa practitioner from Vietnam.

Nguyen Thi Huang from Vietnam has practiced Falun Dafa for two years. She said, “This is the fourth time I participated in a Falun Dafa parade. I’d like to tell everyone about the CCP’s atrocities and I hope the persecution will end soon.”

Ms. Vo, a Vietnamese practitioner, and her daughter, Hoa.

Ms. Vo from Vietnam said, “My classmate told me about Falun Dafa when I was in college in Vietnam. I started reading Zhuan Falun, the main text of Falun Dafa, after coming to Japan eight years ago. Falun Dafa has given me wisdom to think and judge correctly. I used to always get headaches because of the stress at my workplace. After practicing Falun Dafa, I’m calm and I no longer feel anxious at work.”

“The persecution has been going on for a very long time. I hope that Japanese people will learn the truth about Falun Dafa,” she said.

Background: What Is Falun Dafa and Why Is the CCP Persecuting It?

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 and regions worldwide. Millions of people who have embraced the teachings, which are based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, and have learned the five exercises, have experienced improved health and well-being.

Jiang Zemin, former head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), perceived the spiritual discipline’s growing popularity as a threat to the CCP’s atheistic ideology and on July 20, 1999, he issued an order to eradicate the practice.

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.

Minghui.org has confirmed the deaths of thousands of practitioners as a result of the persecution over the past 23 years. The actual number is believed to be much higher. Countless practitioners 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 China’s organ transplant industry.