(Minghui.org) “Is there anything I can do to support you?” asked Martin, a young doctor after he learned of the persecution of Falun Dafa in China during a rally held at the Kornhaus in downtown Bern, the capital city of Switzerland on April 29, 2023. 

Martin, a doctor, shows his support for Falun Gong.

To mark the 24^th anniversary of the peaceful April 25 protest, Falun Dafa practitioners went to the Chinese embassy in Bern to call for an immediate end to the persecution. They read an open letter in German and Chinese that discussed Falun Dafa and the ongoing persecution, and urged Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials to withdraw their Party membership.

Falun Dafa practitioners read an open letter outside the Chinese embassy in Bern, demanding that the CCP end the persecution.

That afternoon, practitioners held a rally in the busy area in the city near the iconic Kornhaus. Many people stopped to read the information on display boards when they saw practitioners quietly meditating. Passersby waiting for public transport also listened as practitioners gave speeches. Some asked practitioners who handed out fliers for more information while others went straight up to the table to sign the petition calling for an end to the brutalities taking place in China. Martin was one of them. He said he planned to look for more information on Falun Dafa online after he returned home.

Practitioners demonstrate the exercises in Bern’s busy city center.

A practitioner gives a speech introducing Falun Dafa, the ongoing persecution, and the peaceful protest that took place in Beijing 24 years ago.

People stop to sign the petition to call for an end to the atrocities in China.

A practitioner explains what Falun Dafa is and how the CCP is persecuting it.

The Persecution of Falun Dafa Is a Suppression of Kind People Who Pursue the Truth

Daniele holds a sign with the words “Stop Persecuting Falun Gong” during activities held to commemorate the April 25 protest. She hopes more people will join the effort to end the persecution.

Daniele Gfeller teaches children the arts. She said she received information about Falun Dafa at previous activities held by practitioners so she knew what Falun Dafa is. She said, “I have a great impression of Falun Dafa, they follow the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance. It’s amazing.”

She also expressed her thoughts on the CCP’s 24-year-long persecution, “This persecution has gone on for so long, yet it has not ended. It is so sad. The CCP supports bad things and suppresses the good because they want power. Those who pursue the truth and believe in the divine are perceived by them as an obstacle. The regime wants to eliminate kindhearted people (Falun Dafa practitioners) who are in their way. It is heartbreaking.”

She expressed her anger at the CCP’s forced organ harvesting of prisoners of conscience. “This is most reprehensible,” she said. “Those who do such things should be locked up. This infringes on all human rights.”

Ms. Gfeller signed the petition to call for an end to the persecution. “The suppression of Falun Dafa must end,” she said. “I hope to contribute towards this.” She also had her photo taken while holding a placard calling on the CCP to end the atrocities. “I hope God will help people have the courage to support Falun Dafa practitioners so that we can stop this together.”

Persecuting Falun Dafa Is a Crime

Werner Wythenbach listened as a practitioner spoke at the rally. He later signed the petition to stop the persecution. “The CCP is torturing people and taking organs without consent,” he said. “This is a crime against human nature. People cannot freely express their views. We cannot put up with this. It should be stopped.”

Mr. Wythenbach hopes that through collecting signatures on the petition and handing them to the Swiss government, “People can change their views. Just as was said in the speech, I hope it will encourage people to withdraw from the CCP and its affiliated organizations. People should be able to live freely without persecution. This is my wish as well.”

Persecuting Falun Dafa Shows How Wrong the CCP Is

When he learned of the CCP’s persecution of those who conduct themselves according to Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, Jonathan Reitze said, “When a political system feels it needs to suppress people like this, it goes to show how wrong this governance is. Because they (Falun Dafa practitioners) do this for love, for a beautiful life, yet the CCP started a persecution campaign. This already shows how wrong the regime is. One can clearly see this.”

Social worker Anna Bosshard said, “These people (Falun Dafa practitioners) are autonomous, yet the CCP attempts to control them.” She spoke of the variety of grassroots events held outside the Swiss Parliament building, which is in sharp contrast to the strict security outside Zhongnanhai that houses the central government in China. “If a government is afraid of its people and forbids them to go near them, it is not a good thing. It is a form of suppression. I know the terrible sufferings borne by people in China. The persecution shows that people cannot express their own views. This is not right.”

Ms. Bosshard also noted that people rarely spoke of the regime’s suppression, thinking that it’s perhaps because it is prohibited in China. She signed the petition and said, “This is an expression of my support for Falun Dafa practitioners.” She also plans to let more people know about what is taking place in China, in the hopes that it can help stop the brutalities.

I Hope More People Can Lend a Hand to Stop This

Lena Kane, who teaches French and German to middle-school students, has read media reports about the CCP’s doings but this was the first time she heard of Falun Dafa. She praised practitioners after learning about the background of the April 25 protest 24 years ago.

She thought it was terrible that the CCP was persecuting Falun Dafa, and said, “Practitioners have been working hard to stop what is happening in China. I think they are good people. They hope to change the world. I want to support them.”

After signing the petition, Ms. Kane said, “I think this is effective, and our appeals will be heard. As an individual, perhaps this is not a huge impact, but together we can do something. I think we should support this.”

Psychologist Susan Weber said she saw a documentary in Zurich about the persecution. As soon as she noticed the practitioners’ activity, she signed the petition. She said, “I feel great to be able to do something to stop this persecution.”

She expressed her views on organ harvesting. “I cannot imagine how something like this can happen,” she said. “It is so cruel. I hope through signing the petition, more people can pay attention to this. Switzerland should not be neutral on everything.”

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, though because of the difficulty in getting information out of China, the actual number is suspected to be much higher. Many 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.