(Minghui.org) Falun Dafa practitioners in Quebec, Canada held a parade and rally in Montreal on the afternoon of April 22, 2023 to commemorate the 24th Anniversary of the April 25 Peaceful Appeal in Beijing.
Falun Dafa practitioners held a parade in Montreal on April 22, 2023.
Falun Dafa practitioners from Quebec, Canada held a parade which included the Tian Guo Marching Band and banner team in the afternoon of April 22. The parade started from Cabot Square Montreal at 2 p.m., went through busy St. Catherine Street and ended at Parc Sun-Yat-Sen in Chinatown. Afterwards they demonstrated the Falun Dafa exercises and held a rally.
Practitioners pass through St. Catherine Street
Many people stopped and watched. They took photos and videos and applauded. Some people bowed to express their respect.
Human Rights Activist: Canadian Government Shouldn’t Stand By and Do Nothing
Wilder Jules, a public affairs consultant, human rights activist and former independent candidate for Mayor of Montreal, supports Falun Dafa practitioners in exposing the persecution.
Wilder Jules, public affairs consultant, human rights activist and former independent candidate for Mayor of Montreal, learned the facts about Falun Dafa from practitioners. He did some research on Falun Dafa and the persecution. He said that Falun Dafa is a peaceful group and that the Canadian government shouldn’t stand by and do nothing when the group is persecuted by the CCP.
He said that many people don’t know what happened under the CCP’s rule and that in China the CCP harvested organs not only from Uyghurs, but mostly from Falun Dafa practitioners.
He hoped that Falun Dafa practitioners will continue doing what they were doing because the CCP is a totalitarian regime, evil and there is no reason for it to exist. He supports practitioners’ efforts.
Keep up the Good Work
Joe, who works in a bank in Montreal, and his wife Tou were happy to see the parade. Joe said that the parade helps raise awareness of what was happening in China. He supports the practitioners and their fight for their right of freedom to belief.
Joe, who works in a bank in Montreal, and his wife Tou praised Falun Dafa practitioners for bringing beauty in the parade.
Joe explained that he watched a documentary about Falun Dafa and knew that practitioners practice Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. He said the parade was unique and beautiful and had good energy. He hoped that he could help them and let the world become better. He felt that the Canadian government didn’t try its best to help the practitioners who were severely persecuted in China.
Tou liked Falun Dafa practitioners because they were peaceful, and the parade was beautiful with beautiful music and color and everyone was in sync.
Danielle works in finance. He said that the parade was beautiful, had a positive message and the colors were uplifting. He asked what Falun Dafa was. When he learned about the persecution, he said that the CCP wanted to eradicate the group because of their spiritual belief and the CCP was bad. He supported practitioners’ efforts.
Montreal resident Danielle and his family expressed their support for Falun Dafa practitioners.
His wife Assiza said that the parade was very peaceful and well organized, and that practitioners were courageous and righteous. She encouraged them to continue their efforts until they succeed.
St-Onge, an French textbook editor, applauded the parade. She said that the practitioners were brave because she knew how difficult it was for Chinese people to protest against the CCP and many unpleasant things happened in China.
St-Onge, French textbook editor, wanted to know more about Falun Dafa after she saw the parade.
She was shocked when she saw the message on the banner about the CCP’s organ harvesting from living Falun Dafa practitioners. She said that it was dreadful and felt bad that she didn’t know about it earlier.
She wanted to know more about Falun Dafa and hoped that people would come to watch the parade because it was important.
Falun Dafa Representative: April 25 Peaceful Appeal Is a Historic Day
Ms. Li, the coordinator of the event, said, “Throughout Chinese history, when faced with tyranny, people either accepted and bore it or rose up and fought violently. The Falun Dafa practitioners who participated in the April 25 Appeal set a good example of how to face evil peacefully and kindly. The April 25 Peaceful Appeal was historic and set a good example for future generations.”
Genevieve traveled from Laurentides, Quebec to attend the activity.
Genevieve from Laurentides has practiced Falun Dafa for 23 years. She said that April 25 would be an important day in history. Practitioners from various areas of Quebec came to attend the activities. She said that practitioners hope to show people what Falun Dafa is through the parade.
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 appeal 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
