(Minghui.org) Falun Gong practitioners held a rally and march in Amsterdam on July 16, 2022, to condemn the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s 23-year-long persecution. They condemned the CCP’s organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners and called for an end to the persecution.
March in Amsterdam on July 16, 2022, to protest the CCP’s persecution
The event started at 1 p.m. Practitioners gave speeches introducing Falun Dafa and condemning the CCP’s persecution, interspersed with exercise demonstrations and waist drum performances. The march started from Dam Square at about 1:40 p.m., passed Damrak Street, reached Chinatown, and returned to Dam Square via Dam Street. The practitioners were welcomed by the spectators along the way.
Han Steijnebrugh, former Ambassador for Parliament of the World’s Religions
Han Steijnebrugh, former Ambassador for Parliament of the World’s Religions, said after the rally, “The first time I learned about the persecution of Falun Gong was in the European Parliament.
“I couldn’t believe that a government put many citizens of faith in concentration camps, collected their DNA and other information, and stole a large number of organs such as livers, hearts, and lungs from them, and sold the organs for money. That is live organ harvesting. Then their bodies were incinerated to destroy the evidence. This practice is too evil.
“Canadian human rights lawyer David Matas and former Member of Parliament David Kilgour conducted detailed investigations. In addition, please convey to the Falun Gong practitioners who are persecuted by the CCP, and tell them that they are not alone, we are thinking of them, and we are praying for them.”
Mr. Hans Noot, director of the Global Religion Foundation, chairman of the Global Platform for Religious Freedom, and director of Human Rights Without Borders in the Netherlands, spoke to Falun Gong practitioners after attending the rally. “Power and legislation must be based on human rights, and people’s rights are sacred. Human rights are not given by the state. Human rights exist because of people, and the state must protect it,” he said.
Member of European Parliament Writes to Support
Peter van Dalen, Member of European Parliament (MEP)
Peter van Dalen, Member of European Parliament (MEP), sent a statement to support the Falun Gong practitioners’ rally:
“I want to encourage you in this way. The way you are treated in China is abhorrent. The persecution of ethnic minorities, especially the theft of organs, is a serious violation of human rights and should not be ignored. We should not lose attention to human rights. The international community must hold China accountable.
“So I am delighted to see that the European Parliament recently (partly on my initiative) passed a resolution condemning Chinese organ theft and calling on the EU and its Member States to do everything in their power to stop this. Member States will do everything in their power to ensure that this is stopped. In the European Parliament, I will continue to do my best to bring this issue to the attention of everyone.”
Amnesty International Netherlands also issued a statement for the event, stating that in 1999, the CCP banned the spread of Falun Gong in China on trumped-up charges, and established the 610 Office to oversee the suppression of Falun Gong. “Tens of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners have been arbitrarily detained. Police use torture and other ill-treatment means to force Falun Gong practitioners to renounce their beliefs.
“At a full 23 years into the crackdown on the Falun Gong movement in China, Amnesty International Netherlands calls on the Chinese authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all those imprisoned solely for exercising their right to freedom of belief and expression.”
Rally Resonates with the Public
Zhou Mingming is a college student from China. After watching the rally for a while, he said, “I have acquaintances who are persecuted in China. I felt disgusted seeing those terrible incidents. This kind of tragic thing happens every day in China. It’s too bad.”
He said that there was nothing wrong with a human being following Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. “In China, I read a lot of news about Falun Gong, but I don’t have the courage to practice Falun Gong. I know that there are no human rights in China, and the police can arrest someone at will. A person can be arbitrarily detained without investigation and trial, and even their organs can be stolen. In China, not only Falun Gong, but other religious believers are persecuted and discriminated against.”
“The Chinese government should immediately stop the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners and human rights activists, as well as all dissidents,” he said.
Mr. Tran supports Falun Gong.
Mr. Tran’s niece is a practitioner of Falun Gong. When he saw the Falun Gong rally in Amsterdam, he felt happy.
“I know of Falun Dafa in Vietnam,” he said. “After my niece practiced Falun Gong, her health and spirit have improved. I support Falun Gong and I also signed the petition. The persecution of Falun Gong must be stopped.
“There are many Chinese people in Vietnam. They are good people, but the Chinese Communist Party is very bad. The CCP has done many bad things all over the world. What they do is disgusting, especially in Vietnam, we know that very well. If the CCP does not stop, it is not good for the security of the world. We must bring them to court, and we must unite the nations of the world to abolish the communism system worldwide.”
Ms. Roya Kashani said she felt bad about the persecution.
Ms. Roya Kashani is a cosmetologist and dermatologist who owns her own company. She told Falun Gong practitioners at the rally, “Today, when I saw people being tortured so badly on Dam Square, I was deeply saddened and I thought it was scary. We are already living in 2022. There are still cases of organ harvesting for profit. It’s hard to understand. This persecution must stop.”
Protest in Front of the Chinese Embassy in The Hague
Practitioners held a rally in front of the Chinese Embassy in The Hague four days later on July 20, 2022. They used prominent banners to convey their messages: “Falun Dafa is good,” “The world needs Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance,” “Stop the persecution of Falun Gong,” and “Disintegrate the CCP and stop the persecution.” Falun Gong practitioners Yin Lizhu and Zhang Yanhua spoke about their experiences of being persecuted by the CCP for practicing Falun Gong.
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.
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Category: July 20 Events
