(Minghui.org) To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the April 25 peaceful appeal, practitioners in Vancouver, Canada gathered in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery on April 21, 2024. They did the Falun Gong exercises, and the peaceful atmosphere drew the attention of passersby. After learning how Falun Gong practitioners have been persecuted in China for 25 years, many expressed their support for practitioners’ efforts to end the persecution.
On April 25, 1999, over 10,000 Falun Gong practitioners gathered in front of the Appeals Office of the State Council in Beijing to ask for the release of 45 practitioners who had been unjustly arrested in nearby Tianjin. They asked the government to protect their right to freedom of belief. A few months later, on July 20, the then Chinese leader launched a nationwide persecution of Falun Gong and since then, thousands of practitioners have been incarcerated, tortured and even killed.
For the past 25 years, Falun Gong practitioners around the world have persistently raised awareness of the ongoing persecution in China in the hope that people will choose to side with the good.
Falun Gong practitioners do the exercises in front of the Art Gallery in Vancouver on April 21, 2024 to commemorate the peaceful protest that took placed 25 years ago in Beijing.
Many passersby talked to practitioners and learned about the brutal persecution of Falun Gong in China.
On the evening of April 24, practitioners held a candlelight vigil in front of the Chinese Consulate in Vancouver. They displayed banners with such messages as, “The world need Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance,” “Stop harvesting organs for sale from living Falun Gong practitioners,” and, “Stop the persecution of Falun Gong.” They condemned the persecution and called for the immediate end to these human rights violations in China. As night approached, practitioners quietly lit candles and held photos of practitioners killed in the persecution.
Practitioners held a candlelight vigil on the evening on April 24, 2024 in front of the Chinese Consulate in Vancouver to commemorate fellow practitioners killed in China the persecution.
Some drivers honked their horns or gave the practitioners a thumbs up to show their support. One passerby bowed to practitioners to thank them for what they were doing, to raise awareness about the persecution.
Chinese Student: Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance Cleanses People’s Hearts
A Chinese student said that he used to be a supporter of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), but is no longer one after he came to Canada and learned of the many bad things the CCP has done. He knew about the April 25 appeal and said that Falun Gong practitioners are decent people because they express their views in a peaceful manner. He said that they even picked up trash and cleaned the streets after they were done protesting [referring to the original April 25 appeal]. “It’s unfathomable that the CCP couldn’t even stand such a gentle protest,” he said.
He said the persecution of Falun Gong shows that the CCP “disrespects religious belief,” and “is worried that Falun Gong is too popular.
“Falun Gong teaches Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, which can cleanse people’s hearts. If everyone could follow these principles, socializing with others would be a lot easier,” the student said.
The young man said he thinks that the CCP is hurting the Chinese people, especially during the COVID pandemic several years ago. “All the CCP wants you to do is to listen to it no matter what,” he said.
Resident Commends Falun Gong
John went to the Chinese Consulate on the night of the 24th carrying a Canadian flag. He bowed to every practitioner to express his respect.
John bowed to every practitioner in front of the Chinese Consulate on April 24, 2024 to express his respect for them.
“Falun Gong practitioners are very righteous. They search for the truth, respect and treat others with kindness, and are tolerant,” John said. “They’ve been tolerant for too many years. They just keep going and uphold their ideology and spirit, which is hard to do.”
He said that many people see hope through practitioners’ activities. “The hope that the CCP will soon be gone. Practitioners are non-violent, and the practice is highly recommended,” he said.
Immigrant Touched by Practitioner’s Kindness
Huilin emigrated to Canada after the CCP cracked down on the Hong Kong protesters in 2019. After interacting with practitioners, she said she understood that many things she’d heard about Falun Gong in China were just the CCP’s propaganda to slander Falun Gong and justify the persecution.
“After getting to know practitioners in Canada personally, I feel they are very considerate and understanding. I know how they feel and what they’ve been through all these years after I experienced the CCP’s brutality during the Anti-Extradition Law Movement,” she said.
Huilin said that practitioners’ kindness really moved her. “They carefully guard the values of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, and hold themselves to high moral standards. The benevolence they demonstrate touches me when I interact with them,” she said.
“Ten thousand people with pure and kind hearts asked the government to do what’s good for the country, yet the CCP targeted them. Practitioners have suffered torture and suppression that none of us could imagine.”
Falun Gong Promotes Positive Values
Lily Clancy from Seattle was visiting Vancouver for the weekend and saw the practitioners in front of the Gallery. This was the first time she’s heard about the practice and the persecution.
“It’s a great practice that teaches good values and keeps people healthy,” she said. Standing next to the practitioners who were doing the exercises to the soothing and peaceful music, she said, “Falun Gong promotes very positive values and love for others. That’s how I feel. Yet the CCP is against it and hurts them for doing meditation exercises. This is terrible. People should be able to choose what they want to practice.”
“What [practitioners] do [to end the persecution] requires strength and courage. When the persecution started in 1999, everyone knew that the government could hurt them. It’s important to have belief and religious freedom,” Lily said.
Wishes to Learn the Exercises
Yagmuh and her mother noticed practitioners doing the exercises, and they followed along with their movements. “I’ve seen practitioners exercise before, and I always wanted to learn,” she said.
Yagmuh (first on left) learns the meditation with her mother.
Yagmuh said doing the exercise gave her an amazing feeling: “When I did the exercises, I felt very calm and peaceful.”
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Category: April 25 Events
