(Minghui.org) Practitioners held a candlelight vigil in front of the Chinese Consulate in Manhattan on April 21, 2024, before the 25^th anniversary of the April 25 Appeal. They commemorated thousands of practitioners who died as a result of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution of Falun Dafa in the past 25 years. 

Falun Dafa practitioners held a candlelight vigil in front of the Chinese Consulate in Manhattan on April 21, 2024.

Over ten thousand Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) practitioners went to Beijing to appeal for a peaceful practice environment on April 25, 1999. Even though the appeal was solemn and peaceful, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) used it as an excuse to initiate the inhumane persecution on July 20, 1999, which continues. 

A plane flew over the Hudson River next to the Chinese Consulate with a huge banner worded “Falun Dafa Is Good” in Chinese and English, with red letters on a yellow background. At about three to four hundred feet high, the banner was flown by a small plane. The banner was very eye-catching, and the words “Falun Dafa Is Good” could be clearly seen on the street.

A Practitioner Urges That Her Sister Detained in China Be Released

Practitioner Ms. Chen Jingyu Chen, 53 years old, is from Changchun City, Jilin Province, China. She was a former staff member at Changchun No. 5 Audit Firm. She started practicing Falun Dafa in the Summer of 1997. 

“I was frail and sick since I was a child, and suffered from gastritis and neurasthenia. After practicing Falun Gong, my health improved. Before the persecution, I recovered from the disease. I could live and work normally and I felt very happy.” Ms. Chen said that after she began practicing she followed the principles of Falun Dafa and no longer accepted gifts or took advantage of others.

However, because they persisted in their faith, Falun Gong, the CCP forced her and her husband to leave their jobs. They fled China and came to the United States.

During the candlelight vigil, Ms. Chen and her husband held display boards, demanding the unconditional release of her sister Ms. Chen Jinghui, and other Falun Gong practitioners who were illegally arrested for adhering to their belief in Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance.

Ms. Chen’s sister was an accountant and was two years older than her. After practicing Falun Gong for six months in 2011, her uterine fibroids disappeared and her temper improved. In mid-March of this year, her sister was arrested by the Changjiu Road Police Station in Chaoyang District, Changchun City. Her 80-year-old parents were left home alone with no one to care for them. Before she was arrested her sister was harassed by the police for several years.

“My parents are in their 80s. My sister was taken away by seven policemen when she was taking care of my parents. Now there is no one to take care of the two elderly, and I am also very worried about my sister’s safety,” Ms. Chen tearfully said. “I was illegally detained by the CCP, so I know that the mental and physical harm caused by this is beyond words.”

The CCP’s persecution has been going on for 25 years. Deaths of 5057 practitioners due to the persecution were documented: In 2023 alone, 1188 practitioners were sentenced to prison for practicing Falun Gong. Among them, the oldest one was 89 years old. 

Practitioner Shi Kun said, “We participate in this candlelight vigil to commemorate those fellow practitioners who died in the persecution. Their perseverance and suffering in the 25 years are touching.” 

A Young Chinese Man Knows About the Persecution

Gong Kai, a young man from Anhui Province, came to the United States via Latin America in June last year. He participated in the practitioners' parade and rally to mark the April 25 Appeal. He said he felt the kindness of Falun Gong practitioners and joined the evening’s candlelight vigil.

“If a person does not actually have any beliefs, it is easy for him to have no bottom line when doing things,” he said. “So I think I am going to get my faith back. Dafa has cleansed my soul. I conduct myself in actions and words by following Dafa. I feel the changes in my body, which is a feeling of spiritual cleansing.” 

Before participating in an event held by Falun Gong practitioners in New York City, Gong also received a call from the Public Security Bureau of his hometown in China, repeatedly hinting that he not participate in any Falun Gong-related activities.

Gong said his grandmother practiced Falun Gong when he was young. He learned about the CCP’s persecution and joined the practitioners outside the Chinese Consulate. He called to disintegrate the CCP and urged Chinese people to withdraw from the Party and its affiliated organizations. 

As night fell, Falun Gong practitioners lit candles and arranged them in the Chinese characters: “Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance.” They held lotus lanterns in their hands to commemorate the peace and kindness displayed by practitioners during the April 25 petition, and also to commemorate those who were persecuted to death for their faith in the past 25 years.

A local resident said, “I feel sorry for what these Chinese people have endured and I hope things can develop for the better.”