(Minghui.org) Finnish Falun Gong practitioners participated in the “Lahti Market of Possibilities” event held by Fingo in the city of Lahti on June 8, 2024. Fingo is a civil society organization that coordinates 10 to 15 cultural festivals in different regions of Finland each year. The topics discussed during the events are about issues that affect us all, such as refugees, human rights, as well as cultural and community diversity.

Falun Gong practitioners demonstrated the calming, slow and graceful exercises to the public, and told people about the atrocities committed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which is persecuting kind-hearted people. The coordinator of the Finnish Falun Dafa Association gave a short speech on the stage, while practitioners demonstrated the five sets of exercises on the stage.

Falun Gong exercise demonstration on the stage

Residents signed a petition to support Falun Gong practitioners’ effort to end the persecution

Juha is a leader of an organization responsible for humanitarian refugee affairs in Lahti. He is very familiar with how the CCP persecutes Chinese people, because he has come into contact with different victims from China in the past. He supports Falun Gong practitioners’ peaceful efforts to end the atrocities. He signed the petition and before leaving, he left a business card with the practitioners and told them that they could contact him at any time if they had any problems and he would not hesitate to help.

Adriana, a project coordinator, called her friends to inform them about the brutal persecution happening in China. She said people need to somehow relieve their mental stress, and just imagining the CCP persecuting meditation practitioners makes her feel that the CCP is simply crazy.

A Russian lady who didn’t speak Finnish stopped at the Dafa booth. Luckily there were flyer in Russian at the booth. After reading the flyer, she signed the petition, and later brought two Russian friends to sign the petition. Another Russian lady and her son had a similar experience. After reading the flyer in Russian, she signed the petition to support Falun Gong.

A Russian family signed on a petition to end the persecution

Mathias, a Finnish citizen, approached the booth and signed the petition without need any introductory explanation. He said he knew this was very important because he saw news about the CCP’s global atrocities every day. He wanted to show his support for Falun Gong and the various groups being persecuted in China.

Portia (middle) and her husband speak with a practitioner

Portia and her husband took the fliers handed out by a practitioner and asked about the persecution. They expressed sympathy for the suffering of Falun Gong practitioners in China and said that they were glad that Finnish Falun Gong practitioners could speak out for human rights issues in China.

Anna and Kira are Ukrainian students living in Lahti. They expressed deep sympathy for the suffering of Falun Gong practitioners.